Final answer:
In a reaction between NaOH and H2SO4, if adding more NaOH produces more product, H2SO4 is the limiting reagent, indicating all of the H2SO4 is used up and NaOH is in excess.
Step-by-step explanation:
If adding more NaOH to a fixed amount of H2SO4 results in the formation of more product, the limiting reagent is H2SO4. This is because the reaction continues to produce more product as more NaOH is added, indicating that all of the H2SO4 is being used up in the reaction. According to the balanced chemical equation, H2SO4 (aq) + 2NaOH (aq) → Na2SO4 (aq) + 2H2O(l), we need twice as many moles of NaOH as H2SO4 for complete neutralization. Therefore, if there is NaOH still available to be added, it means we have not reached the stoichiometric ratio required for the reaction to proceed completely, hence NaOH is in excess and H2SO4 is the limiting reactant.