If 0.250 mol of red phosphorus reacts with 0.375 mol of yellow sulfur,what is the empirical formula of the product?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

1) Write the balanced chemical equation:
4P (s) + 3S8 (s) -> 2P2S3 (s)
2) Determine the limiting reactant:
0.250 mol red phosphorus x (2 mol P2S3 / 4 mol P) = 0.125 mol P2S3
0.375 mol yellow sulfur x (2 mol P2S3 / 3 mol S8) = 0.250 mol P2S3
Yellow sulfur is the limiting reactant.
3) Calculate the moles of each element in the product:
2 mol P2S3 contains 4 mol P and 6 mol S
0.250 mol P2S3 contains 0.5 mol P and 0.75 mol S
4) Divide the moles of each element by the smallest mole value and round to the nearest whole number:
0.5 mol P / 0.5 = 1
0.75 mol S / 0.5 = 1.5
Empirical formula: P1S1.5 (multiply by 2 to get whole numbers) = P2S3

If 0250 Mol of Red Phosphorus Reacts with 0