Final answer:
To identify the limiting reactant in a reaction, compare the number of moles of each reactant with the stoichiometric ratio in the balanced chemical equation. In this case, O2 is the limiting reactant.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction, you need to compare the number of moles of each reactant with the stoichiometric ratio in the balanced chemical equation.
In this case, we have 16g of methane (CH4) and 32g of oxygen (O2). To calculate the moles of CH4, we use its molar mass: 16g CH4 * (1 mole CH4 / 16g CH4) = 1 mole CH4.
To calculate the moles of O2, we use its molar mass: 32g O2 * (1 mole O2 / 32g O2) = 1 mole O2.
The balanced chemical equation for the reaction of CH4 and O2 is: CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O.
Since the stoichiometric ratio between CH4 and O2 is 1:2, we can see that 1 mole of CH4 requires 2 moles of O2 to react completely. Therefore, O2 is the limiting reactant in this reaction.