Question

If I start with.30 moles of AgNO3 and.35 moles of Li, what is my limiting reactant?

Answer 1

AgNO₃ will be the limiting reagent.

Step-by-step explanation:

The balanced reaction is:

AgNO₃ + Li → LiNO₃ + Ag

By reaction stoichiometry (that is, the relationship between the amount of reagents and products in a chemical reaction), the following amounts of each compound participate:

• AgNO₃: 1 mole
• Li: 1 mole
• LiNO₃: 1 mole
• Ag: 1 mole

To determine the limiting reagent, you can use a simple rule of three as follows: if by stoichiometry
`moles of AgNO_(3) =(0.35 moles of Li*1 mole of AgNO_(3))/(1 mole of Li)`AgNO₃, how much moles of AgNO₃ will be needed if 0.35 moles of Li react?

moles of AgNO₃= 0.35

But 0.35 moles of AgNO₃ are not available, 0.30 moles are available. Since you have less moles than you need to react with 0.35 moles of Li, AgNO₃ will be the limiting reagent.