Spring 2022

Chapter 3
Stoichiometry:
Calculations with Chemical
Formulas and Equations
Stoichiometry

Law of Conservation of Mass

➢ The area of study that examines
the quantities of substances
consumed and produced in
chemical reactions is called
stoichiometry.
➢ Lavoisier observed that mass is
conserved in a chemical reaction.
➢ This observation is known as the
law of conservation of mass.

Stoichiometry

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Chemical Equations
➢ Chemical equations give concise
representations of chemical reactions.

There are two parts to any equation:

➢ reactants and products

Stoichiometry

Anatomy of a Chemical Equation

CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)

Stoichiometry

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Anatomy of a Chemical Equation

CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)

Reactants appear on the

left side of the equation. Stoichiometry

Anatomy of a Chemical Equation

CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)

Products appear on the

right side of the equation. Stoichiometry

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Anatomy of a Chemical Equation

CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)

The states of the reactants and products

are written in parentheses to the right of Stoichiometry
each compound.
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Anatomy of a Chemical Equation

CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)

Coefficients are inserted to

balance the equation. Stoichiometry

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Subscripts and Coefficients

Give Different Information

➢ Subscripts tell the number of atoms of

each element in a molecule
Stoichiometry

Subscripts and Coefficients

Give Different Information

➢ Subscripts tell the number of atoms of

each element in a molecule
➢ Coefficients tell the number of Stoichiometry
molecules
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Reaction
Types

Stoichiometry

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Combination Reactions

➢ Two or more
substances
react to form
one product

➢ Examples:
N2 (g) + 3 H2 (g) ⎯⎯→ 2 NH3 (g)
C3H6 (g) + Br2 (l) ⎯⎯→ C3H6Br2 (l)
2 Mg (s) + O2 (g) ⎯⎯→ 2 MgO (s) Stoichiometry

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2 Mg (s) + O2 (g) ⎯⎯→ 2 MgO (s)

Stoichiometry

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Decomposition Reactions

➢ One substance breaks

down into two or more
substances

➢ Examples:
CaCO3 (s) ⎯⎯→ CaO (s) + CO2 (g)
2 KClO3 (s) ⎯⎯→ 2 KCl (s) + 3 O2 (g) Stoichiometry

2 NaN3 (s) ⎯⎯→ 2 Na (s) + 3 N2 (g)

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Combustion Reactions
➢ Rapid reactions that
produce a flame
➢ Most often involve
hydrocarbons reacting
with oxygen in the air

Note: Two types of combustion: complete and incpomplete

➢ Examples:
CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) ⎯⎯→ CO2 (g) + 2 H2O (g)
C3H8 (g) + 5 O2 (g) ⎯⎯→ 3 CO2 (g) + 4 H2O (g) Stoichiometry

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Formula
Weights

Stoichiometry

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Formula Weight (FW)

➢ Sum of the atomic weights of the atoms
in a chemical formula
➢ So, the formula weight of calcium
chloride, CaCl2, would be
Ca: 1(40.1 amu)
+ Cl: 2(35.5 amu)
111.1 amu
➢ Theseare generally reported for ionic
compounds

Stoichiometry

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Molecular Weight (MW)

➢ Sum of the atomic weights of the atoms in
a molecule
➢ For the molecule ethane, C2H6, the
molecular weight would be

C: 2(12.0 amu)
+ H: 6(1.0 amu)
30.0 amu

Stoichiometry

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Percent Composition
One can find the percentage of the mass of
a compound that comes from each of the
elements in the compound by using this
equation:

(number of atoms)(atomic weight)

% element = x 100
(FW of the compound)

Stoichiometry
Centesimal composition
Routine analysis: CHN analysis
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Percent Composition
So the percentage of carbon in ethane is…

(2)(12.0 amu)
%C =
(30.0 amu)
24.0 amu
= x 100
30.0 amu
= 80.0%
Stoichiometry

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Moles

Stoichiometry

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Moles
Moles provide a bridge from the molecular scale to
the real-world scale

Stoichiometry

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Avogadro’s Number

➢ 6.02 x 1023
➢ 1 mole of 12C has a mass of 12 g

Stoichiometry

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Molar Mass
➢ By definition, it is the mass of 1 mol of a
substance (i.e., g/mol)
⚫ The molar mass of an element is the mass
number for the element that we find on the
periodic table
⚫ The formula weight (in amus) will be the same
number as the molar mass (in g/mol)

Stoichiometry

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Mole Relationships

➢ One mole of atoms, ions, or molecules contains

Avogadro’s number of those particles
➢ One mole of molecules or formula units contains
Avogadro’s number times the number of atoms or
ions of each element in the compound
Stoichiometry

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Finding
Empirical
Formulas Stoichiometry

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Calculating Empirical Formulas

One can calculate the empirical formula from the

percent composition

Stoichiometry

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Calculating Empirical Formulas

The compound para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is

composed of carbon (61.31%), hydrogen (5.14%),
nitrogen (10.21%), and oxygen (23.33%). Find the
empirical formula of PABA.

Stoichiometry

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Calculating Empirical Formulas

Assuming 100 g of para-aminobenzoic acid,

C: 61.31 g x 1 mol = 5.105 mol C

12.01 g
1 mol
H: 5.14 g x = 5.09 mol H
1.01 g
1 mol
N: 10.21 g x = 0.7288 mol N
14.01 g
1 mol
O: 23.33 g x = 1.456 mol O
16.00 g

Stoichiometry

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Calculating Empirical Formulas

Calculate the mole ratio by dividing by the smallest number
of moles:
5.105 mol
C: = 7.005  7
0.7288 mol

5.09 mol
H: = 6.984  7
0.7288 mol

0.7288 mol
N: = 1.000
0.7288 mol

1.458 mol
O: = 2.001  2
0.7288 mol
Stoichiometry

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Calculating Empirical Formulas

These are the subscripts for the empirical
formula:

C7H7NO2

The empirical formula (relative ratio of

elements in the molecule) may not be
the molecular formula (actual ratio
of elements in the molecule).

Example: ascorbic acid (vitamin C) has

the empirical formula C3H4O3.
Stoichiometry
The molecular formula is C6H8O6.

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Molecular Formula

➢ To get the molecular formula from the empirical

formula, we need to know the molecular weight,
MW.

➢ The ratio of molecular weight (MW) to formula

weight (FW) of the empirical formula must be a
whole number.

Stoichiometry

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Combustion Analysis
➢ Empirical formulas are routinely determined by
combustion analysis.

➢ A sample containing C, H, and O is combusted in

excess oxygen to produce CO2 and H2O.

➢ The amount of CO2 gives the amount of C originally

present in the sample.

➢ The amount of H2O gives the amount of H originally

present in the sample. Stoichiometry

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Stoichiometry

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Stoichiometric Calculations

The coefficients in the balanced equation

give the number of moles of reactants and
products

Stoichiometry

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Stoichiometric Calculations
From the mass of
Substance A you can
use the ratio of the
coefficients of A and
B to calculate the
mass of Substance B
formed (if it’s a
product) or used (if
it’s a reactant)

Stoichiometry

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Limiting
Reactants
Stoichiometry

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How Many Cookies Can I

Make?
➢ You can make cookies
until you run out of one
of the ingredients
➢ Once this family runs
out of sugar, they will
stop making cookies
(…at least any cookies
you would want to eat!)

Stoichiometry

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How Many Cookies Can I

Make?
➢ In this example the
sugar would be the
limiting reactant,
because it will limit the
amount of cookies you
can make

Stoichiometry

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Limiting Reactants
The limiting reactent is the reactant that
determines how far the reaction will go before it gets
used up, causing the reaction to stop.

The limiting reactent is the reactant that will be

consumed totally

Stoichiometry

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Limiting Reactants

The limiting reactent is the reactant you will

run out of first (in this case, the H2)

Stoichiometry

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Limiting Reactants

In the example below, the O2 would be the

excess reagent

Stoichiometry

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Limiting Reactants
If 20.0 g of Fe2O3 are reacted with 8.00 g Al(s) in the
following reaction,
Which reactant is limiting?
How much is left of the excess reagent ?.

Stoichiometry

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Limiting Reactants
If 20.0 g of Fe2O3 are reacted with 8.00 g Al(s) in the
following reaction,
Which reactant is limiting?
How much is left of the excess reagent ?.

Mol of Al= 8/26.98 = 0.297 mole

Mol of Fe2O3 = 20/159.7 = 0.127 mole

nFe2O3 nAl

1 2
So Fe2O3 is the limiting reactant .
0.297-2x0.127= 0.043 moles of Al is left at the end of the
reaction. Stoichiometry

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Theoretical Yield
The theoretical yield is the amount of product
that can be made. In other words it’s the amount
of product possible as calculated through the
stoichiometry problem.
This is different from the actual yield which is the
amount one actually produces and measures.

Stoichiometry

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Percent Yield
A comparison of the amount actually
obtained to the amount it was possible to
make

Actual Yield
Percent Yield = x 100
Theoretical Yield

Stoichiometry

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