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If 18.6 grams of copper (II) chloride react with 23.4 grams of sodium nitrate, what is the limiting reagent for the reaction?

A. Copper (II) chloride
B. Sodium nitrate
C. Both are limiting reagents
D. Neither is a limiting reagent

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Sodium nitrate is the limiting reagent for the reaction between copper (II) chloride and sodium nitrate.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to determine the limiting reagent, we need to calculate the number of moles of each reactant by using their molar masses. The molar mass of copper (II) chloride (CuCl2) is 63.55 g/mol and the molar mass of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) is 85 g/mol.

We convert the given masses of each reactant to moles:

Copper (II) chloride: 18.6 g ÷ 63.55 g/mol = 0.293 moles

Sodium nitrate: 23.4 g ÷ 85 g/mol = 0.275 moles

The reactant with the lower number of moles is the limiting reagent. In this case, sodium nitrate has fewer moles, so it is the limiting reagent for the reaction.

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