Question

Iron(III) oxide reacts with carbon monoxide according to the equation Fe₂⁺O₃(s) + 3CO(g) → 2Fe(s) + 3CO₂(g). A reaction mixture initially contains 45.00 g Fe₂⁺O₃ and 29.60 g CO. What is the limiting reactant?

1) Fe₂⁺O₃
2) CO
3) Fe
4) CO₂

Answer 1

The limiting reactant is iron(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃), as the moles available of CO are sufficient for the reaction, but the moles of Fe₂O₃ are not enough for all the available CO to react. So, the correct answer is option 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves a chemical reaction where iron(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃) reacts with carbon monoxide (CO) to form iron (Fe) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). To determine the limiting reactant, we need to perform stoichiometric calculations based on the balanced chemical equation and the initial masses given. The balanced equation is already provided: Fe₂O₃(s) + 3CO(g) → 2Fe(s) + 3CO₂(g).

First, we need to calculate the moles of Fe₂O₃ and CO using their molar masses:
Fe₂O₃ has a molar mass of 159.7 g/mol; therefore, 45.00 g Fe₂O₃ is equivalent to 45.00 g / 159.7 g/mol = 0.282 moles of Fe₂O₃.

CO has a molar mass of 28.01 g/mol; consequently, 29.60 g CO is equivalent to 29.60 g / 28.01 g/mol = 1.057 moles of CO.

According to the balanced equation, 1 mole of Fe₂O₃ reacts with 3 moles of CO. This means that 0.282 moles of Fe₂O₃ would require 0.282 moles × 3 = 0.846 moles of CO. Since we have 1.057 moles of CO available, which is more than the 0.846 moles required, Fe₂O₃ is the limiting reactant. Therefore, option 1) Fe₂O₃ is the correct answer.