How many grams of phosphoric acid can be made from 200 g of dichromate and 150 grams of hypophosphorous acid? (Performed in an acidic solution, Chromium III is one of the products)
To determine the number of grams of phosphoric acid that can be made, you need to first determine the limiting reactant. The limiting reactant is the reactant that is completely consumed and determines the maximum amount of product that can be formed.
To find the limiting reactant, you need to compare the number of moles of each reactant to their respective stoichiometric coefficients in the balanced equation. The balanced equation for the reaction can be written as:
1 dichromate + 3 hypophosphorous acid → 1 phosphoric acid + 1 Chromium III + other products
First, let's calculate the number of moles for each reactant using their respective molar masses.
Number of moles of dichromate = mass of dichromate / molar mass of dichromate
= 200 g / molar mass of dichromate
Number of moles of hypophosphorous acid = mass of hypophosphorous acid / molar mass of hypophosphorous acid
= 150 g / molar mass of hypophosphorous acid
Next, we compare the moles of each reactant to their stoichiometric coefficients to determine the limiting reactant.
Divide the number of moles of each reactant by their stoichiometric coefficients:
Moles of dichromate / stoichiometric coefficient of dichromate = ratio of dichromate
Moles of hypophosphorous acid / stoichiometric coefficient of hypophosphorous acid = ratio of hypophosphorous acid
Compare the two ratios. The smaller ratio indicates the limiting reactant.
Once you find the limiting reactant, you can use its mole ratio to calculate the number of moles of phosphoric acid produced. Finally, multiply the moles of phosphoric acid by its molar mass to determine the mass of phosphoric acid produced.