Question

A wax candle is lit and then placed into a small, closed container. After a few minutes, the candle goes out. What is the limiting reactant of the reaction described here?

Answer 1

We say that the limiting reactant is the one that gets consumed first in a reaction and therefore limits the production of products.

Here we burn a candle made of wax with oxygen from the air, and it is `produced energy, CO2, and water.

If we limit the amount of oxygen in the available air, the candle's flame eventually goes out once it uses up all the O2.

O2 molecule of

Answer: the limiting reactant is the O2 from the air.