Final answer:
Without initial quantities of reactants, it's impossible to calculate exact moles of excess reactant remaining after the reaction between sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide. The molecular equation 2NaOH(s) + CO2(g) → Na2CO3(s) + H2O(l) indicates the stoichiometric ratio needed for calculations if initial moles are known.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many moles of the excess reactant remain after the completion of the reaction between sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide, we must first know the initial quantities of the reactants. Since the question doesn't provide this information, we cannot calculate the exact amount of the excess reactant left. However, if we assume that sodium hydroxide is in excess, we would subtract the moles of sodium hydroxide that reacted with carbon dioxide from the initial moles of sodium hydroxide to find the remaining moles of excess reactant.
The balanced molecular equation for the reaction is: 2NaOH(s) + CO2(g) → Na2CO3(s) + H2O(l). Here, it takes 2 moles of NaOH to react with 1 mole of CO2. If you know the initial moles of NaOH and CO2, you can calculate the remaining NaOH by using stoichiometry.