Question

LiOH(s) + CO2(g) —> LiHCO3(s)Determine the limiting reagent if you have 30.0 grams of both LiOH and CO2.

Answer 1

The limiting reagent for the reaction is CO2

Step-by-step explanation

Given that;

The mass of LiOH that reacted is 30.0 grams

The mass of of CO2 that reacted is 30.0 grams

Follow the steps below to find the limiting reactant of the reaction.

Step 1; Find the mole of each reactant

`\text{ mole = }\frac{\text{ mass}}{\text{ molar mass}}`

Recall, that the molar mass of LiOH and CO2 are 23.95 g/mol and 44.01 g/mol respectively.

For LiOH

`\begin{gathered} \text{ mole = }\frac{\text{ 30}}{\text{ 23.95}} \\ \text{ mole = 1.253 moles} \end{gathered}`

The number of moles of LiOH is 1.253 moles

For CO2

`\begin{gathered} \text{ mole = }\frac{\text{ mass}}{\text{ molar mass}} \\ \text{ mole = }\frac{\text{ 30}}{\text{ 44.01}} \\ \text{ mole = 0.682 mol} \end{gathered}`

The mole of CO2 in the reaction is 0.682 mol

In chemical reaction, the limiting reagent of the reaction always has the least number of moles.

Hence, the limiting reagent for this reaction is CO2