Final answer:
The mole ratio is used in chemistry to predict the number of moles of a product formed from reactants and the moles of reactants needed for producing a product, based on a balanced chemical equation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the mole ratio, which is a concept in chemistry that is instrumental in stoichiometry. With the aid of the mole ratio, one can reliably predict both the moles of product formed from a given number of moles of reactant, and the moles of reactant required for a certain number of moles of product. This is because a mole ratio is a conversion factor drawn from the coefficients of a balanced chemical equation that allows for the translation of moles between different substances involved in the reaction.
The process involves several steps, which might include calculating the number of moles of reactants, determining the limiting reactant if necessary, and then using the mole ratio to find out the number of moles of product that can be created. Often, these problems are further extended to include conversions between moles and masses, since substances are commonly measured by mass in laboratory settings.