Experiment 8: Limiting Reactant

Joseph Personelli
Pooja Patel
Dr. Mare Cudic
2/13/2014
Experiment 8 was conducted so that we could determine the limiting reactant in a
salt mixture. We also performed this experiment to determine the percent composition of
each substance in a salt mixture. We dissolved a salt in water, heated it to about 75c, and
then filtered it through filter paper with the help of a gravity filtering apparatus. The
limiting reactant for the unknown Hootie and the Blowfish was determined to be
K2C2O4*H2O. A precipitate formed when two drops 0.5M of K2C2O4 was added to the
supernatant. Because the precipitate formed, this indicated that Ca was in excess and that
C2O4 was the limiting reactant in the original salt mixture. To make sure that C2O4 was
truly the limiting reactant we added two drops of 0.5 M of CaCl2 and no precipitate
formed. Calculating the percent of each substance from the whole substance is another
way we were able to determine that K2C2O4 is the limiting reactant and that CaCl2 is the
excess reactant. The percent composition of the limiting reactant was lower than that of
the excess reactant. One possible error that could have occurred during the experiment is
when we were heating the salt mixture the heat went beyond 75C and it could have
possible denatured. Another error that could have affected our results is that the heating

oven was not set to the highest setting and our substance was still wet when it came time
to weigh it again.
Trial 1 Calculations:
1. 0.1324g (1 mol CaC2O4/128.12) = 0.00103
2. 1.039-0.1324= .9066
0.9066(1 mol K2C2O4/166.22) = 0.00545g
3. 0.1324g (1 mol CaC2O4/128.12g)(1 mol K2C2O4/1 mol CaC2O4)(184.24 g/ 1 mol
K2C2O4) = 0.190 g
4. .1324 g (1 mol CaC2O4/128.12)(1 mol CaCl2H2O/ 1mol CaC2O4)(147.02/ 1 mol
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

CaCl2H2O) = .152 g
(.190/1.039)X100= 18.28%
[(1.039-.190)/1.039] = 81.71%
.00545 X .152 = 8.284X10-4
.152 - 8.284X10-4 = .1511

A. Precipitation of CaC2O4*H2O from the Salt

Mixture
1. Mass of beaker (g)
2. Mass of beaker and salt mixture (g)
3. Mass of salt mixture (g)
4. Mass of filter paper (g)
7. Mass of oven-dried CaC2O4 (g)
B. Determination of Limiting
Reactant
1. Limiting Reactant in Salt Mixture
2. Excess Reactant in Salt Mixture

Data Analysis

Trial 1
Trial 2
104.1994 107.9223
105.2384 108.9637
1.0390
1.0414
0.4638
0.4594
0.1324
0.0789

Formula
K2C2O4*H2O
CaCl2*2H2O

Trial 1

1. Moles of CaC2O4 precipitated (mol)

2. Moles of limiting reactant in salt mixture
(mol)
Formula of limiting hydrate
3. Mass of limiting reactant in salt mixture (g)
Formula of limiting hydrate
4. Mass of excess reactant in salt mixture (g)
Formula of excess hydrate

Trial 2
0.00103 mol
CaC2O4
0.00545 mol
K2C2O4
K2C2O4
0.190 g K2C2O4
K2C2O4
0.152 g CaCl2
CaCl2*2H2O

0.0006158 mol
CaC2O4
0.00579 mol
CaC2O4
K2C2O4
0.1135 g K2C2O4
K2C2O4
0.0905 g CaCl2
CaCl2*2H2O

5. Percent limiting reactant in salt mixture (%)

Formula of limiting hydrate
6. Percent excess reactant in salt mixture (%)
Formula of excess hydrate
7. Mass of excess reactant that reacted (g)
Formula of excess hydrate
8. Mass of excess reactant, unreacted (g)

18.28%

10.90%

K2C2O4

K2C2O4

81.71%
CaCl2*2H2O
8.284X10-4g
reacted
CaCl2
0.1511 g
unreacted

89.10%
CaCl2*2H2O
5.24X10-4g
reacted
CaCl2
0.0900 g
unreacted