Final answer:
The limiting reactant when 16g of methane reacts with 32g of oxygen is oxygen (O2). One mole of methane would require two moles of oxygen to completely react, but only one mole of oxygen is available, thus O2 is the limiting factor.
Step-by-step explanation:
Identifying the Limiting Reactant
To determine the limiting reactant, we must first write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction of methane (CH4) with oxygen (O2). Methane reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O):
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O
Calculating Moles of Reactants
Determining the Limiting Reactant
From the balanced equation, it is clear that 1 mole of CH4 reacts with 2 moles of O2. Since we only have 1 mole of O2, the limiting reactant is O2 because there is not enough O2 to react with all the CH4 present.