Which is the limiting reactant in the following reaction given that you start with 15.5 g of Na₂S and 12.1 g CuSO₄?
Reaction: Na₂S + CuSO₄→ Na₂SO₄ + CuS

Question

Which is the limiting reactant in the following reaction given that you start with 15.5 g of Na₂S and 12.1 g CuSO₄? Reaction: Na₂S + CuSO₄→ Na₂SO₄ + CuS

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the limiting reactant, we need to convert the given masses of each reactant into moles. Moles of Na₂S = 15.5 g / (32.06 g/mol + 12.01 g/mol + 96.06 g/mol) = 0.0319 mol Moles of CuSO₄ = 12.1 g / (63.55 g/mol + 32.06 g/mol + 96.06 g/mol) = 0.0338 mol Since the reaction requires 1 mole of Na₂S for every 1 mole of CuSO₄, the limiting reactant is the reactant with the smaller number of moles. In this case, Na₂S has the smaller number of moles, but it does not appear in excess as its number of moles is almost the same as the moles of other reactant. The product that forms in limited amount is CuS. Thus, the correct choice is B.

Which Is the Limiting Reactant in the Following Reaction Given