Final answer:
To calculate the number of moles of each reactant, balance the chemical equation, convert the mass of reactants to moles using molar masses, determine the limiting reactant, and calculate the moles of product from it.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating Moles of Reactants in Chemical Reactions
To calculate the number of moles of each reactant in a given chemical reaction, the following steps should be followed:
- Balance the chemical equation for the reaction to understand the stoichiometry involved.
- Convert the mass of each reactant into moles by using their molar masses.
- Use the stoichiometry of the balanced equation to compare the number of moles of each reactant to determine the limiting reactant.
- Calculate the number of moles of product that can be formed from the limiting reactant.
- If necessary, estimate the remaining excess of the non-limiting reactant.
Using this methodology, we can calculate the number of moles in various samples, such as 21.6 g of boron, 54.9 g of manganese, 100.3 g of mercury, and so forth, by dividing the mass of each sample by its respective molar mass.