Answer:
1 mole of magnesium are required to react with 2.0 mol of hydrochloric acid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The balanced reaction is:
Mg + 2 HCl → MgCl₂ + H₂
The law of conservation of matter states that since no atom can be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, the number of atoms that are present in the reagents has to be equal to the number of atoms present in the products. That is, the law of conservation of mass implies that the sum total of charges before and after the chemical reaction remains constant.
The relationships between the quantities of reactants consumed and products formed depend directly on this conservation law, and therefore can be determined by an equation that describes them. This equality is called the stoichiometric equation.
In this case, by stoichiometry of the reaction (that is, the relationship between the amount of reagents and products in a chemical reaction), you have:
- Mg: 1 mole
- HCl: 2 moles
- MgCl₂: 1 mole
- H₂: 1 mole
Then, 1 mole of magnesium are required to react with 2.0 mol of hydrochloric acid.