Question

Consider the reaction 2Al + 6HBr → 2AlBr3 + 3H2. If 8 moles of Al react with 8 moles of HBr, what is the limiting reactant?

Answer 1

Answer:- HBr is limiting reactant.

Solution:- The given balanced equation is:

$2Al+6HBr\rightarrow 2AlBr_3+3H_2$

From this equation, There is 2:6 mol or 1:3 mol ratio between Al and HBr. Since we have 8 moles of each, HBr is the limiting reactant as we need 3 moles of HBr for each mol of Al.

The calculations could be shown as:

$8molAl(\frac{6molHBr}{2molAl})$

= 24 mol HBr

From calculations, 24 moles of HBr are required to react completely with 8 moles of Al but only 8 moles of it are available. It clearly indicates, HBr is limiting reactant.