Final answer:
Nitric acid (HNO3) is the limiting reactant in the neutralization reaction with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), as the reactants react in a 2:1 mole ratio, and there is not enough HNO3 to completely react with the available Ca(OH)2. The correct answer is 2. Ca(OH)2.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject here is a neutralization reaction, which occurs when an acid and a base react to form water and a salt. In this case, nitric acid (HNO3) reacts with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is 2 HNO3 + Ca(OH)2 → Ca(NO3)2 + 2 H2O, which shows that two moles of HNO3 are required for every mole of Ca(OH)2.
Given that there are 5.0 moles of HNO3 and 3.0 moles of Ca(OH)2, we can determine the limiting reactant by comparing the mole ratio from the balanced equation. Since it takes 2 moles of HNO3 to react with 1 mole of Ca(OH)2, we would need 6.0 moles of HNO3 to completely react with 3.0 moles of Ca(OH)2. However, we only have 5.0 moles of HNO3, which means HNO3 is the limiting reactant. So, the correct answer is 2. Ca(OH)2.