SHS - Physical Science (Stoichiometry)

I. Introductory Concept
When does a chemical reaction stop? When a chemist carries out a
reaction, the reactants are usually not present in exact stoichiometric amounts
that are in the proportions indicated by the balanced equation. The goal of a
reaction is to produce the maximum quantity of a useful compound from the
starting materials; frequently a large excess of one reactant is supplied to
ensure that the more expensive reactant is completely converted to the
desired product.
This whole process will explain why one reactant will be completely
consumed before the other runs out.
Can you now figure out when a chemical reaction stops?

II. Learning Competencies

Determine the limiting reactant in a reaction and calculate the amount
of product formed. (S11/12PS-IIIh-27)

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

✓ determine the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction; and
✓ calculate the amount of product formed from given chemical reactions.

III. Activities
Chemical equations are symbolic
representations of chemical reactions. The reacting
materials (reactants) are placed on the left, while
the products are placed on the right, usually
separated by an arrow showing the direction of the
reaction. The numerical coefficients next to each
chemical entity denote the proportion of that
chemical entity before and after the reaction. The
law of conservation of mass dictates that the
quantity of each element must remain unchanged in
a chemical reaction. A balanced chemical equation
shows the same quantity of each element on each
side.
Consider the illustration (Figure 1). Notice
that the molecules of NO and O2 are the reactants Figure 1. The chemical reaction between
nitric oxide and oxygen
(Source: Chemistry by R. Chang. Mass
Relationships in Chemical Reaction.ppt,2006)

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 involved in the chemical reaction and NO2 is the product formed.
Writing the balanced chemical equation for this reaction will be

2NO + O2
2NO
reactants product

Stoichiometry is the study of quantitative relationships between the

amounts of reactants used and amounts of products formed in chemical
reactions. For any balanced chemical reaction, whole numbers (coefficients)
are used to show the quantities (generally in moles) of both the reactants and
products. For example, when nitric oxide and oxygen react to produce
nitrogen dioxide, one mole of oxygen reacts with two moles of nitric oxide to
produce two moles of nitrogen dioxide.
A chemical reaction stops when one of the reactants is completely
used up. In most chemical experiments, the reactants are not in exact ratios
specified by the balanced chemical equation. Often, one of the reactants is
used in excess, and the reaction proceeds until one of the reactants is used
up. The reactant that is completely used up in a chemical reaction is called
the limiting reactant. As the term implies, it limits the extent of the reaction
and thereby determines the amount of product that will be formed. On the
other hand, the reactant that
remains after the reaction stops is
called the excess reactant. As
the term implies, it is the reactant
that is in excess in the reaction.
When more than one
reactant quantity is given in a
problem, it is likely that one of the
reactants will be consumed
completely (the limiting reactant)
while the other reactant is not (the
excess reactant). Stoichiometry
can be used in mass-to-mass
calculations to easily determine
the limiting reactant and excess
reactant in the chemical reaction.
Observe and study how mass-mass calculations are executed in the
following problems:
But wait!
Make sure you have a copy of the Periodic
table of Elements to easily determine the
atomic weight of a certain element. You will
use it in computing for the Molar Mass of a
molecule/substance.

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 SAMPLE PROBLEM 1:

Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2

In the chemical equation provided above, let us suppose that a
scientist was given 30.0 grams of Fe2O3 and 16.80 grams of CO
simultaneously. Which substance should be used completely, and which
substance would have an excess after reaction?

Step 1. Find the amount of the reactants needed in the reaction based on the
given amount in the problem.

Solution A. Using the given mass of Fe2O3, find the mass of CO needed in the reaction.

Mass of CO = 30.0 g Fe2O3 x 1.00 mole Fe2O3 x 3.00 moles CO x 28.0 g CO

160 g Fe2O3 1.00 mole Fe2O3 1.00 mole CO

= 15.75 or 15.8 g CO

Solution B. Using the given mass of CO, find the mass of Fe2O3 needed in the reaction.

Mass of Fe2O3 = 16.80 g CO x 1.00 mole CO x 1.00 mole Fe2O3 x 160 g Fe2O3
28.0 g CO 3.00 moles CO 1.00 mole Fe 2O3

= 32.0 g Fe2O3

Observe how solution A & B

use the general formula for

mas-mass calculation below:

Stoichiometry Checkpoint!

Mass A x Molar mass A x no. of moles B (Mole ratio from balance equation) x Molar Mass B
no. of moles A

Step 2. Analyze the computed value from the given value.

From the calculation, it can be deduced that 15.75 g CO is needed to

react with 30.0 g Fe2O3 while 32.0 g Fe2O3 is needed to react with 16.80 g
CO. It should be noted that only 30.0 g Fe2O3 is available for the reaction.

Step 3. Identify the limiting reactant and the excess reactant.

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 The amount of Fe2O3 limits the reaction, hence Fe2O3 is the limiting
reactant. It follows that CO is the excess reactant.
Step 4. Compute the excess value of the excess reactant.

What is the excess value? Simply subtract the calculated amount from
the given amount. In this example, it is the amount in Solution A.

Excess value of CO = 16.80 g CO – 15.75 g CO = 1.05 g in excess

In addition, stoichiometry can be used to find quantities such as the

amount of products that can be produced with a given amount of reactants
and percent yield.

SAMPLE PROBLEM 2:
Consider the reaction below:

K2O + 2HCl → 2KCl + H2O

If 10.0 g K2O is made to react with 10.0 g HCl, how many grams
of H2O will be formed?

Use the following molar masses: K2O=94g/mol, HCl=36.5g/mol,

and H2O=18g/mol.

How to Do
Step 1: Convert the mass of both reactants to their corresponding moles.

Moles K2O:
moles K2O=mass K2O / molar mass K2O
moles K2O=10.0g K2O / 94g/mol
moles K2O=0.106 mol K2O

Moles HCl:
moles HCl=mass HCl / molar mass HCl
moles HCl=10.0g HCl / 36.5g/mol
moles HCl=0.274 mol HCl

Step 2: Calculate the moles of product that can be formed from each reactant.

Moles H2O from K2O:

1 mole H2O
moles H2O = (0.106 moles K2O) ( )
1 mole K2O
moles H2O = 0.106 moles from K2O

Moles H20 from HCl:

1 mole H2O
moles H2O = (0.274 moles HCl) ( )
2 moles HCl
moles H2O = 0.137 moles from HCl

Step 3: Compare the moles of product formed from each reactant.

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 Moles H2O from K2O is less than moles H2O from HCl.

Step 4: Tag the reactant that gives a lower amount of product as the limiting
reactant.

Since moles H2O from K2O is less than moles H2O from HCl, K2O is the
limiting reactant.

Step 5: Convert the moles of product to mass formed from the limiting reactant. The
calculated mass is the maximum amount of product that you can form from the
reaction.

mass of product from limiting reactant = (moles of product) (molar mass of product)

massH2O=(molesH2O)(molarmassH2O)
massH2O=(0.106 mol H2O)(18g H2O/ 1 mol H2O)
massH2O=1.908 g H2O

SAMPLE PROBLEM 3:

no. of moles Fe2O3 (Mole ratio from balance equation)

Mass (g) Al x Molar mass Al x x Molar Mass Fe2O3
no. of moles Al

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 no. of moles Al2O3 (Mole ratio from balance equation)
Mass (g) Al x Molar mass Al x x Molar Mass Al2O3
no. of moles Al

SAMPLE PROBLEM 4:
Consider the balanced chemical equation below,

1. What is the mole ratio of the reactants?

2. If 1 mole of N2 were consumed in the reaction, how many moles of NH3
were produced?
3. What mass of NH3 will be produced if 0.350 g of H2 reacted completely
with N2?
Answer/Solution:
1. Mole ratio of H2 and N2 is 3:1 (as indicated by the number before the chemical
formula)
2. 2 moles of NH3 (as reflected in the mole ratio of N2 and NH3)
3. Calculate the mass of NH3 using the given mass of H2,

no. of moles NH3 (Mole ratio from balance equation)

Mass H2 x Molar mass H2 x x Molar Mass NH3
no. of moles H2

Mass of NH3 = 0.350 g H2 x 1.00 mole H2 x 2.00 moles NH3 x 17.0 g NH3
2.00 g H2 3.00 moles H2 1.00 mole NH3

= 1.98 g NH3

The relationship between the products and reactants in a balanced

chemical equation is very important in understanding the nature of the
reaction. This relationship tells us what materials and how much of them are
needed for a reaction to proceed. Reaction stoichiometry describes the
quantitative relationship among substances as they participate in various
chemical reactions.

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 Do you now understand how to determine the limiting reagent and
calculate the maximum amount of product that can be formed in a chemical
reaction? Do you think you can apply the steps in solving related problems?
Let us find out in the succeeding activity.
Now, let’s have the concept checkpoint!

LET US PRACTICE!
1. Consider the combustion of butane, one of the main components of
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Use the following molar masses:
C4H10=58g/mol, O2=32g/mol, and CO2=44g/mol.
2C4H10 + 13O2 → 8CO2 + 10H2O

A. How many grams of CO2 is produced when 100 g C4H10

undergoes combustion with 200 g O2? You may follow the steps
in sample problems given to answer this problem. Show your
solution in a separate sheet.
B. Which substance is the limiting reactant? Why?
C. Which substance is the excess reactant? Why?

2. From the reaction: B2H6 + O2 → HBO2 + H2O

A. Write the balanced chemical equation for the reaction.
B. What mass of O2 will be needed to burn 36.1 g of B2H6?
C. How many moles of water are produced from 19.2 g of B 2H6?

3. One mole of aspartame (C14H18N2O5) reacts with two moles of

water to produce one mole of aspartic acid (C4H7NO4), one mole of
methanol (CH3OH) and one mole of phenylalanine.
A. What is the molecular formula of phenylalanine?
B. What mass of phenylalanine is produced from 378 g of
aspartame?

IV. Reflection
Kindly complete the following statements:

I have learned that

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

I wish to ask my teacher about

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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V. References
Physical Science Teaching Guide for Senior High School
Project EASE Chemistry
Physical Science. Helen E. Caintic 2016
Physical Science Dennis G. Caballes et.al. 2016

https://lrmds.deped.gov.ph/
https://www.academia.edu/Chemistry_4th_Edition_By_Chang
www.khanacademy.org
www.quipper.com
www.quizlet.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTUFPjliMCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymCZ2ShhBAw

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