Stoichiometry

• Is a section of chemistry that involves using

relationships between reactants and/or
products in a chemical reaction to determine
desired quantitative data. In order to use
stoichiometry to run calculations about chemical
reactions, it is important to first understand the
relationships that exist between products and
reactants and why they exist, which require
understanding how to balanced reactions.
 Balancing
• In chemistry chemical reactions are frequently written
as equation, using chemical symbols. Equations
compactly describe chemical changes. The reactants
are displayed on the left side of the equation and the
products are shown on the right, with the separation
of either a single or a double arrow that signifies the
direction of the reaction. To balance an equation, it is
necessary that there are the same number of atoms
on the left side of the equation as the right. One can
do this by raising the COEFFICIENTS.
 Reactants to Products
• A chemical reaction is a recipe for a reaction
so it displays all the ingredients in term of a
chemical reaction. It includes elements,
molecules or ions in the reactants and in the
products as well as their states, (s-solid, l-
liquid, g-gas, aq- aqueous) and the proportion
for how much of each particle is created
relative to one another, through
stoichiometric coeffecient.
• The following equation demonstrates the typical
format of a chemical equation:
2Na(s)+2HCl(aq)+H2(g)→2NaCl(aq) +H2(g)
In the above equation, the elements present in the
reaction are represented by their chemical
symbols. Based on the Law of Conservation of
Mass, which states that matter is neither created
nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, every
chemical reaction has the same elements in its
reactants and products, though the elements they
are paired up with an often change in a reaction.
In this reaction, sodium (Na), hydrogen(H), and
chloride(Cl) are the elements present in both
reactants, so based on the law of conservation
of mass, they are also present on the product
side of the equations. Displaying each element is
important when using the chemical equation to
convert between elements.
 Stoichiometric Coefficients
• In a balanced reaction, both sides of the
equation have the same number of elements.
The stoichiometric coefficient is the number
written in front of atoms , ions and molecules in
a chemical reaction to balance the number of
each element on both the reactant and product
sides of the equation. Though the stoichiometric
coefficients can be fractions, whole numbers are
frequently used and often preferred.
These stoichiometric coefficients are useful since they
establish the mole ratio between reactants and
products. In the balanced equation:
2Na(s)+2HCl(aq)→2NaCl(aq)+H2(g)
We can determine that 2 moles of HCl will react with
2 moles of Na(s) to form 2 moles of NaCl(aq) and 1
mole of H2. If we know how many moles of Na we can
start with, we can use the ratio of 2 moles of NaCl to 2
moles of Na to determine how many moles of NaCl
were produced or we can use the ratio of 1 mole of
H2 to 2 moles of Na to convert to NaCl. This is known
as the coefficient factor.
The balanced equation makes it possible to convert
information about one reactant or product to
quantitative data about another element. This is
essential to solving stoichiometric problems.
Example 1:
Lead (IV) hydroxide and sulfuric acid reacts as
shown below. Balance the reaction.
Pb (OH)4+H2SO4→Pb(SO4)2+H2O
• Solution:
Start by counting the number of atoms of each
element.
Element Reactants # of Products # of
atoms atoms
Pb 1 1
O 8 9
H 6 2
S 1 2
Balanced equation:

Pb (OH)4+2H2SO4→Pb(SO4)2+4H2O

Element Reactants( # of Products (# of

atoms) atoms)
Pb 1 1

O 12 12

H 8 8

S 2 2
A balanced equation ultimately has to satisfy
two conditions:
1. The numbers of each element on the left and
right side of the equation must be equal.
2. The charge on both sides of the equation
must be equal. It is especially important to
pay attention to charge when balancing
redox reactions.
 Types of Reactions
1. Combustion-is the formation of CO2 and H2O
from the reaction of a chemical and O2
C4H10+O2→CO2+H2O
2. Combination (Synthesis)-is the addition of two
or more simple reactants to form a complex
product
A+B→AB
3. Decomposition- is when complex reactants
are broken down into simpler products
AB→A+B
4. Single Displacement- is when an element from
one reactant switches with the element of the
other to form two new reactants.
A+BC→AC+B
5. Double Displacement- is when two elements
from one reactants switched with two elements
of the other to form new reactants
AB+CD→AD+CB
6. Acid-Base-are when two reactants form salts
and water.
HCl+NaOH→NaCl=H2O
 Molar Mass
• Before applying stoichiometric factors
to chemical equations, you need to
understand molar mass.
• Molar mass is a useful chemical ratio
between mass and moles. The atomic
mass of each individual element as
listed in the periodic table established
this relationship for atoms or ions. For
compounds or molecules, you have to
take the sum of the atomic mass times
the number of each atom in order to
determine the molar mass.
Example:
What is the molar mass of H2O?
Solution:
Molar mass=2x (1.00794g/mol)
+1x(15.999g/mol)
= 18.01528g/mol
Using the molar mass and
coefficient factors, it is possible to
convert mass of reactants to mass
of products or vice versa.
 Variation in Stoichiometric Equations

• Almost every quantitative relationship can be

converted into a ratio that can be useful in
data analysis
 Density- is calculated as mass / volume. This
ratio can be useful in determining the volume
of a solution, given the mass or useful in
finding the mass given the volume. In the latter
case, the inverse relationship would be used.
Volume x (Mass/Volume)=mass
Mass x (volume/mass)=volume
 Percent Mass
Establish a relationship as well. A percent mass
states how many grams of a mixture are of a
certain element or molecule. The percent X%
states that of every 100 grams of a mixture, X
grams are of the stated element or compound.
This is useful in determining the mass of the desired
substance in a molecule.
Example: A substance is 5% carbon by mass. If the
total mass of the substance is 10 grams, what is the
mass of carbon in the sample? How many moles of
carbon are there?
Solution:
Sample x(5g carbon/100g sample)=0.5g carbon
0.5 g carbon x (1 mol carbon/12.011g carbon)
=0.0416 mol carbon
 Molarity- (moles/L) establishes a relationship
between moles and liters. Given volume and
molarity, it is possible to calculate mole or use
moles and molarity to calculate volume. This useful
in chemical equations and dilutions.
Example:
How much 5 M stock solution is needed to prepare
100mL of 2 M solution?
Solution:
100mL of dilute solution (1L/1000mL)(2 mol/1L
solution) (1 L stock solution/5 mol solution)(1000ml
stock solution/1 L stock solution)=40 mL stock
solution
 Determining Empirical Formulas
The empirical formula is the most reduced form
of molecular formula. An empirical formula can
be determined through chemical stoichiometry
by determining which elements are present in
the molecule and in what ratio. The ratio of
elements is determined by comparing the
number of moles of each element present.
Example: Combustion of Organic molecules
1.000 gram of an organic molecule burns
completely in the presence of excess oxygen. It
yields 0.0333 mol of CO2 and 0.599 g of H2O.
What is the empirical formula of the organic
molecule?
Solutions:
This is a combustion reaction. The problem
requires that you know that organic molecules
consists of some combination of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen elements. With that in
mind, write the chemical equation out, replacing
unknown numbers with variables. Do not worry
about the coefficients here.
CxHyOz(g)+O2(g)→CO2(g)+H2O(g)
Since all the moles of C and H in CO2 and H2O
respectively have to have come from the 1 gram
sample of the unknown, start by calculating how
many moles of each elements were present in the
unknown sample.
0.0333mol CO2 (1mol C/1molCO2)= 0.0333mol Cin
unknown
0.599g H2O (1mol H2O/18.01528g H2O)
(2mol H/1molH2O) = 0.0665 mol H in unknown
Calculate the final moles of oxygen by taking the sum
of the moles of oxygen in CO2 and H2O. This will give
you the number of moles of both the unknown
organic molecule and the O2 so you must subtract the
moles of oxygen transferred from the O2.
 Moles of oxygen in CO2
0.0333mol of CO2 (2mol O/1mol CO2)
=0.0666 mol O
 Moles of oxygen in H2O
0.599g H2O(1mol H2O/18.01528 g H2O)
(1mol O/1mol H2O)=0.0332 mol O
Using the Law of Conservation , we know that the
mass before a reaction must equal the mass after a
reaction. With this, we can use the difference of the
final mass of products and initial mass of the
unknown organic molecule to determine the mass of
the O2 reactant.
0.0333mol CO2 (44.0098g CO2/1mol CO2)=1.466g O2
1.466g CO2+0.599g H2O-1.000g unknown organic
=1.065g O2
•  Moles of oxygen in O2
1.065g O2 (1mol O2/31.9988g O2)(2mol O/1mol O2)
=0.0666mol O
 Moles of oxygen in unknown
(0.0666mol O+0.0332 mol O)-0.0666mol O
=0.0332mol O
Construct a mole ratio of C, H, and O in the unknown
and divide by smaller number.
(1/0.332)(0.0333mol C: 0.0665mol H: 0.0332 mol O)
=1 mol C:2mol H:1 mol O
From this ratio, the empirical formula is calculated to
be CH2O
 Determining Molecular Formulas
To determine a molecular formula, first, determine
the empirical formula of the compound as shown in
the section above and then determine the
molecular mass experimentally. Next, divide the
molecular mass of the empirical formula (calculated
by finding the sum the total atomic masses of all the
elements in the empirical formula). Multiply the
subscripts of the molecular formula by this answer
to get the molecular formula.
Example:
In the example above, it was determined that
the unknown molecule had an empirical formula
of CH2O.
1. Find the molar mass of the empirical formula
CH2O.
12.011g C+ (1.008g H)x (2H)+15.999g O
=30.026g/mol CH2O
2. Determine the molecular mass
experimentally. For our compound, it is
120.056g/mol.
3. Divide the experimentally determined
molecular mass by the mass of empirical
formula.
(120.056g/mol)/30.026g/mol)=3.9984
4. Since 3.9984 is very close to 4, it is possible to
safely round up and assume that there was a
slight error in the experimentally determined
molecular mass. If the answer is not close to a
whole number, there was either an error in the
calculation of the empirical formula or a large
error in the determination of the molar mass.
5. Multiply the ratio from step 4 by the
subscripts of the empirical formula to get the
molecular formula.
CH2O*4=
C: 1*4=4
H: 2*4=8
O= 1*4=4
CH2O*4= C4H8O4
6. Check your result by calculating the molar mass of
the molecular formula and comparing it to the
experimentally determined mass.
Molar mass of C4H8O4 =120.104g/mol
Experimentally determined mass=120.056g/mol
%error=│theoritical-experimental │/theoritical*100
%
% error= │120.04g/mol-120.056g/mol*100%
% error= 0.040%
 Calculating Amounts of Reactants and
Products
Chemical equations are a shorthand method for
representing chemical reactions. The equation
not only tells us what happens, it also indicates
the quantitative relationships among reactants
and products, in molecular or molar amounts.
The complete procedure for using an equation to
calculate the mass of a product formed or a
reactant consumed in a chemical reaction is as
follows, using Examples 1 & 2 respectively.
Example: Pentane is burned in an excess of oxygen to
produce carbon dioxide and water. If 144 g of pentane
are burned, how many grams of carbon dioxide are
produced?
General Strategy Solution to Example # 1

Write and Balance the C5H12 (l)+8O2 (g)→5CO2 (g) +6H2O

(g)
equation
C5H12 (l) + 8O2 (g) →5CO2 (g)+6H2O (g)
Place the data from the
144g ?g
problem underneath the
balanced equation.
Identify the quantity to
be calculated (desired
molecule, CO2 in this
problem).
Convert the 144g C5H12 x (1 mol
given quantity C5H12/72g C5H12
(C5H12 in this =moles of given
molecule C5H12
problem) to
moles using
dimensional
analysis)
Use the mole ratio from 144 g C5H12 x (1 mol
the balanced equation
C5H12/72 g C5H12) x 5
(i.e., the coefficients) to
convert the given mol CO2/1 mol C5H12)=
molecule (C5H12) to the moles of desired
Convert the 144g C5H12 x (1 mol
C5H12/72 g C5H12) x
desired
(5 mol CO2/1 mol
molecule to C5H12) x 44 g CO2/1
appropriate mol CO2)= 440 g
units (grams CO2 produced
CO2)
 Example 2:
The Haber process is a reaction in which
ammonia is produced by combining elemental
hydrogen and nitrogen gas. How many grams of
nitrogen are required to completely react with
6.0 grams of hydrogen?
General Strategy Solution to example # 2

Write and balance the 3H2 (g) + N2 (g) ↔ 2NH3 (g)

equation.

Place the data from the 3H2 (g) + N2 (g)↔ 2NH3 (g)

problem underneath the 6.0g ?g

balanced equation.
Identify the quantity to
be calculated (desired
molecule, N2 in this
problem).
Convert the given 6.0 g H2 x (1 mol H2/2.0g
quantity (H2 in this H2= moles of a given
problem) to moles using molecule, H2
dimensional analysis)

Use the mole ratio from the 6.0 g H2 x (1 mol H2/2.0 g

balanced equation (i.e., the
H2) x 1 mol N2/3 mol H2)=
coefficients) to convert the
given molecule (H2) to the moles of desired
desired molecule (N2). molecule, N2

Convert the desired 6.0 g H2 x ( 1 mol H2/2.0 g

molecule to H2) x 1 mol N2/ 3 mol H2) x
appropriate units (28.0 g N2/1 mol N2)= 28 g
N2 required
(grams N2)
 Limiting Reactants
Often the two reactants are not present in the exact
ratio prescribed by the balanced chemical equation. In
this situation, one reactant will be completely
consumed before the others runs out. When this
occurs, the reaction will stop and no more products
will be made. The reactant that is consumed first is
called the limiting reagent or limiting reactant
because it determines, or limits, the amount of
product formed. The reactant that is not completely
consumed is called excess reagent or excess reactant.
For example, if 1 mol of iodine is reacted with
0.50 mol of hydrogen according to the following
reaction, only 1 .0 mol of hydrogen is produced.
I2 (g0 + H2 ↔ 2 HI (g)
1.0 mol 0.5 mol
Excess limiting
H2 is the limiting reactant in this reaction. When
all the H2 is consumed, 0.50 mol of I2 is left over.
H2 determines the amount of HI produced.
0.50 mol H2 x (2mol HI/ 1 mol H2)=
1.0 mol HI produced
When more than one reactant quantity is given
ina problem, it is likely that one of the reactants
will be consumed completely ( limiting reactant)
while the other reactant is not (excess reactant).
To determine which reactant is limiting,
determine the amount of mole product
produced by each reactant. The reactant that
produces the least amount of product is the
limiting reactant.