​What we will cover

• definition

  • limiting reactant

  • theoretical yield

  • actual yield ​

  • percent yield

• calculations

• example questions

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​An analogy about limiting reactants

To make 5 pancakes you need:

• 1 cup of flour

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 tsp of baking powder ​

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Say you have 3 cups of flour, 10 eggs, and 4 tsp of flour. How many pancakes can you make? ​

Only 15 pancakes.

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The 3 cups of flour = the limiting reactant

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And 15 pancakes is the theoretical yield ​

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Imagine we then accidentally burn 3 of the pancakes, we would only have 12. This is the percentage yield ​

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So our percentage yield = (12/15)​ x 100 = 80%

​Example: LR from initial mole values

Ti + 2Cl₂ --> TiCl₄

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Given 1.8 mol of titanium and 3.2 mol of chlorine​, what is the limiting reactant of the reaction, and the theoretical yield of TiCl₄ in moles?

​Cl₂ must be the limiting reactant, because it produces the least amount of product.

1.6 moles is the theoretical yield. ​

​Solution

​Example: LR from initial masses

​Consider the reaction and reactant masses given below

​Solution:

​Solution

​What we will cover next

Concentration of solutions and molarity ​