Question

Which substance is the limiting reactant when 18 g of sulfur reacts with 30 g of oxygen and 36 g of potassium hydroxide according to the following chemical equation?

2 S(s) + 3 O2(g) + 4 KOH(aq) -> 2 K2SO4(aq) + 2 H2O(1)

a. KOH(aq)
b. O2(g)
c. K2SO4
d. S(s)
e. None of these substances is the limiting reactant.

Answer 1

To determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction, compare the mole ratio of the reactants with the actual amounts. The limiting reactant in this case is sulfur (S(s)).

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction, we need to compare the mole ratio of the reactants in the balanced equation with the actual amount of each reactant.

In this case, we need to convert the masses of sulfur, oxygen, and potassium hydroxide to moles using their respective molar masses.

Next, we calculate the mole ratio of each reactant to the product in the balanced equation. The reactant with the smallest mole ratio is the limiting reactant.

By performing these calculations, it is determined that the limiting reactant is sulfur (S(s)).