Final answer:
The given statement is false because the calculated molar amounts of Al and Br₂ from the provided masses do not correspond to the required stoichiometric ratio, making bromine the limiting reactant.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine if the statement "In the following reaction, 20.0 g of Al will react completely with 30.0 g of Br₂. 2Al + 3Br₂ → 2AlBr₃" is true or false, we need to check the stoichiometry of the reaction and compare the molar amounts of the reactants provided.
First, we calculate the moles of aluminum (Al) and bromine (Br₂) using their molar masses. The molar mass of Al is approximately 26.98 g/mol, and the molar mass of Br₂ is approximately 159.808 g/mol. Using these values:
- Moles of Al = 20.0 g / 26.98 g/mol = 0.741 moles
- Moles of Br₂ = 30.0 g / 159.808 g/mol = 0.188 moles
According to the balanced chemical equation, 2 moles of Al react with 3 moles of Br₂. Therefore, we expect a 1:1.5 molar ratio between Al and Br₂. By calculating the mole ratio from the given masses:
- 0.741 moles Al x (3 moles Br₂ / 2 moles Al) = 1.112 moles Br₂ needed
Since only 0.188 moles of Br₂ are provided, bromine is the limiting reactant and there will not be enough to react completely with the provided 0.741 moles of Al. Therefore, the given statement is false.