Question

A student titrated 38.00 ml of a 0.522 m sodium hydroxide solution with 25.00 ml of a 0.785 m hydrochloric acid solution. Which is the limiting reagent?

Answer 1

To determine the limiting reagent between NaOH and HCl, the moles of each are compared. Fewer moles of HCl make it the limiting reagent in the reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student seeks to find the limiting reagent in a titration between sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). First, calculate the moles of each reactant: moles NaOH = volume (L) × concentration (M), and moles HCl = volume (L) × concentration (M). For NaOH: 38.00 mL × 0.522 M = 0.019836 mol; for HCl: 25.00 mL × 0.785 M = 0.019625 mol. Since stoichiometry of NaOH and HCl is 1:1 and there are fewer moles of HCl, HCl is the limiting reagent.