STOICHIOMETRY

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Chemistry Notes

The Mole
Relative
Atomic
Mass
Ar

Defined as mass of one atom of the element when

compared with 1/12 of an atom of carbon-12
Some Ar values are not whole numbers as most
naturally occurring samples of an element contain
a mixture of isotopes with different relative
abundance
No units as it is a ratio
Can be found from periodic table

Relative
Molecular
Mass
Mr

Formula:
mass of 1 molecule of an element
Mass of 1/12 of an atom of carbon-12
To calculate Mr, add up the relative atomic masses
of each atom in the chemical formula
No units as it is a ratio
Eg. Mr of H2SO4 = (2 X 1) + 32 + (4 X 16) = 98

Avogadros Number
The Avogadro Number (or Avogadro Constant)
is defined as the number of atoms in 12g of the
carbon-12 isotope

The value of Avogadro Number is 6.02 x 1023

Examples
24g of magnesium would contain 6.02 x 1023
magnesium atoms
56g of iron would contain 6.02 x 1023 iron atoms
18g of water would contain 6.02 x 1023 water
molecules

The Mole Concept

Mole and Mass

The mass of one mole of molecules is its relative
molecular mass in grams.
For example, 18g of water will be one mole and so
will contain Avogadro Number of water molecules
Examples
1 mole of H2 molecules has mass of 1 x 2 = 2g

1 mole of O2 molecules has a mass of 16 x 2 = 32g

1 mole of CuSO4.5H2O has a mass of
64 + 32 + (16 x 4) + 5[(1x2) + 16] =250g

Empirical vs Molecular
Formula
Empirical formula of a compound
Shows the type of elements present in it
Shows the simplest ratio of the different types of
atoms in it
Can be calculated from the masses of the
elements combined together and the relative
atomic masses of its elements

Steps to find empirical formula of a

compound
Find percentage, mass or relative atomic mass
Find number of moles (Mass, % or Ar / Molar
mass)
Divide by smallest ratio

Empirical Formula
Example: Given that a molecule contains 88.89% oxygen
and 11.11% hydrogen what is its empirical formula?
1. Divide % by Ar
H: 11.11/1 = 11.11
O: 88.89/16 = 5.55
2. Simplest ratio
H: 11.11/5.55 = 2
O: 5.55/5.55 = 1
3. Empirical formula = H2O

% Composition of
Elements in a compound
Steps
Write the chemical formula of the substance
Find the Mr
Divide the atomic mass of the element you want
to calculate the % composition of by the Mr and
multiply result by 100%

Example
% composition of Hydrogen in H2SO4
2/98 x 100 = 2.04%

% composition of Oxygen in H2SO4

64/98 x 100 = 65.31%

Mass of element in a
compound
Mass of element = % of element x mass of sample
= Ar of the atoms of the element in formula
Mr of compound

X mass of
sample

Example
Calculate the mass of sodium in 10g of sodium carbonate
crystals (Na2CO3.10H2O)
Ar of Sodium atoms in Na2CO3.10H2O = 2 X 32 = 46
Mr of compound Na2CO3.10H2O = 286
Mass of sodium in 10g of sodium carbonate crystals
= (46/286) x 10 = 1.61g

Chemical equation
Reactants are written on left side of equation
while products are written on right side.

Steps to write chemical equation using example

of
1.
2.
3.
4.

formation of water
Word equation: Hydrogen + oxygen -- > water
Chemical formula: H2 + O2 -- > H20
Balance the equation: 2H2 + 02 -- > 2H20
Add state symbols: 2H2 (g) + O2 (g) -- > 2H2O (l)

Ionic equation
If the reaction involves reactants in aqueous state, then ionic
equation is written to show which particles actually took part in
the chemical reaction

Steps to write ionic equation

1. Write the overall chemical equation
HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) -- > NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)

2. The chemicals in aqueous state before and after the

reaction are split into their respective ions
[H+Cl- (aq)] + [Na+OH-(aq)] -- > [Na+Cl-(aq)] + H2O (l)

The ions which do not take part in the reaction (those

ions same before and after the reaction) are removed
[H+Cl- (aq)] + [Na+OH-(aq)] -- > [Na+Cl-(aq)] + H2O (l)
This leaves the essential ionic equation
H+ (aq) + OH- (aq)_ -- > H2O (l)

Solubility of Ionic
Compounds

Calculations from
chemical equation
A balanced chemical equation shows the mole
ratio of the reactants and products involved in
the reaction

3 steps to calculating mass of a substance

reacted or produced
Convert mass of each given substance into number
of moles

Compare the mole ratio from equation

Convert the number of mole to the mass of the
substance you want to find

Calculating volume of
reacting gases
Equal volumes of all gases at the same
temperature and pressure contain the same
number of particles
Eg. volume of one mole of O2 at r.t.p. is 24000cm3
Eg. volume of one mole of Cl2 at r.t.p. is 24000cm3

From the chemical equation

Since 1 mole of any gas occupies 24dm3 at r.t.p,
the volume of gas is proportional to the number of
moles of the gas
1dm3 = 1000cm3

Limiting Reactants
A balanced chemical equation is used to calculate
the exact amounts of reactants used up and
products formed using its molar ratio

The reactant that is completely used up is known

as the limiting reactant.

Determines or limits the amount of product formed

Once the limiting reactant is used up, the reaction
stops
Always use the limiting reactant to calculate the
product!

Calculation on
concentration of solutions
The concentration of a solution gives the
amount of solute in 1dm3 of solution.

Can be expressed in g/cm3 or mol/dm3 (molar

conc)

Acid-Base Titration
Calculations

Summary

Percentage Yield and

Percentage Purity

Stoichiometry is the calculation of quantities in chemical

reactions.
Equations tell chemists what amounts of reactants to mix and what
amounts of products to expect. You can determine the quantities of
reactants and products in a reaction from the balanced equation.
When you know the quantity of one substance in a reaction, you can
calculate the quantity of any other substance consumed or created in
the reaction. Quantity usually means the amount of a substance
expressed in grams or moles. But quantity could just as well be in
liters, tons, or molecules.

Basic Steps to solving Stoichiometry problems:

1. Write out the balanced equation. This is extremely important!
2. Find the info given to you.
3. Convert that info (mass, concentration and volume, gaseous volume)
into moles.
4. Use mole ratio from the equation to find out the number of moles of
another substance.
5. Convert this number back into whatever the question wants.

Interpreting chemical
equations
Example 1
Ammonia is widely used as a fertilizer. It is
produced industrially by the reaction of
nitrogen with hydrogen.
The following shows the equation for the
reaction
N2(g) + 3H2(g)

2NH3(g)

Conservation of mass
Mass and atoms are conserved in every chemical
reaction.
The mass of the reactants equals the mass of the
products.
The number of atoms of each reactant equals the
number of atoms for that reactant in the product(s).

Unlike mass and atoms, however, molecules,

formula units, moles and volumes of gases will
not necessarily be conserved - although they may
be.
Only mass and atoms are conserved in every
chemical reaction.

Interpreting Chemical
Reactions
Again, the equation for the formation of ammonia
from hydrogen and nitrogen is
3H2

N2

2 NH3

The most important interpretation of this equation

is that 1 mol of nitrogen reacts with 3 mol of
hydrogen to form 2 mol of ammonia.

With this interpretation, you can relate moles of

reactants to moles of product.

The coefficients from the balanced equation are

used to write conversion factors called mole ratios.

Mole-Mole Calculations
The mole ratios are used to calculate the
number of moles of product from a given
number of moles of reactant or to
calculate the number of moles of reactant
from a given number of moles of product.
Three of the mole ratios for this equation are

1 mol N2

2 mol NH3

3 mol H2

3 mol H2

1 mol N2

2 mol NH3

Mole-Mole Calculations
In the mole ratio below, W is the unknown
quantity. The value of a and b are the
coefficients from the balanced equation.
Thus a general solution for a mole-mole
problem is given by
From balanced
equation

x mol G x b mol W = xb mol W

a mol G
a
Given
Mole ratio
Calculated

Example: Using the ammonia reaction,

answer the following question.

How many moles of ammonia are produced

when 0.60 mol of nitrogen reacts with
hydrogen?

0.60 mol N2 x
Given

2 mol NH3 = 1.2 mol NH

3
1 mol N2
Mole Ratio

MASS-MOLES
CALCULATIONS
Balances dont tell you numbers in moles but
in grams. As such, there are two related
stoichiometry calculations:
Moles Mass & Mass - Moles

In a mole-mass problem you are asked to

calculate the mass (usually in grams) of a
substance that will react with or be produced
from a given number of moles of a second
substance.
moles A
moles B
mass B
B
moles A x mole ratio of A x molar mass of B

If, in an example, you are told something in is

excess, just ignore that substance and solve
the problem with the needed substances.

Example:
Plants use carbon dioxide and water to form
glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen. What mass, in
grams, of glucose is produced when 3.00 mol
of water react with carbon dioxide?

Answer:
1.Write the balanced equation
6CO2(g) + 6H2O(l) -> C6H12O6(s) + 6O2(g)
2. Determine what you need to find/know.
Unknown: mass of C6H12O6 produced
Given: amount of H2O = 3.00 mol
3. Determine conversion factors

moles H2O x

moles C6H12O6 x
moles H2O

grams C6H12O6
1 mole C6H12O6

= grams C6H12O6
4. Solve

1 mol C6H12O6
3.00 moles H2O x
6 moles H2O
= 90.0 g C6H12O6

180 g C6H12O6
x
1 mole C6H12O6

In a mass-mole problem you are asked to

calculate the moles of a substance that will
react with or be produced from a given
number of grams of a second substance.
mass A
mass A x

moles A

moles B

1 mole A
B
x mole ratio
molar mass A
A

Mass-Mass Calculations
No laboratory balance can measure
substance directly in moles

Instead, the amount of a substance is

usually determined by measuring its
mass in grams

From the mass of a reactant or product,

the mass of any other reactant or

product in a given chemical equation can
be calculated

The mole interpretation of a balanced

equation is the basis for this conversion

 If the given sample is measured in grams, the

mass can be converted to moles by using the
molar mass
Then the mole ratio from the balanced equation
can be used to calculate the number of moles of
the unknown
If it is the mass of the unknown that needs to be
determined, the number of moles of the
unknown can be multiplied by the molar mass.
As in mole-mole calculations, the unknown can
be either a reactant or a product

Mass-mass problems can be solved in

basically the same way as mole-mole
problems.
1. The mass G is changed to moles of G (mass G
by using the molar mass of G.
1 mol G

mol G)

Mass G X molar mass G = mol G

2. The moles of G are changed to moles of W (mol G mol W)

by using the mole ratio from the balanced equation.
b mol W
a mol G
Mol G X
= mol W
3. The moles of W are changed to grams of W (mol W mass W)

The route for solving mass-mass

problems is:
mass A

mass B
grams B
moles B
1 mole A
mass A x
x
x 1 mole B
grams A
moles A
given

moles A

molar mass of A

moles B

mole ratio

molar mass of B

Example:
Calculate the number of grams of NH3
produced by the reaction of 5.40 g of
hydrogen with an excess of nitrogen.

Solution:
1. Write the balanced equation
N2 + 3H2

2NH3

2. Write what you know:

Unknown: g NH3; g H2 -> g NH3
Given: 5.40 g H2
3. Determine conversion factors
g H2

mol H2

mol NH3

g NH3

4. Solve
1 mol H2
2 mol NH3 17.0 g NH3
5.40 g H2 x
x
x
1 mol NH3
2.0 g H2
3 mol H2
given

changes given
to moles

= 30.6 g NH3

mole ratio

change moles of
wanted to grams

The following equation summarizes these

steps for a typical stoichiometric problem
aG

(given quantity)

bW

(wanted quantity)

Using the ammonia reaction equation,

determine the number of liters of ammonia
that can be produced from 5 grams of
nitrogen at STP.
2NH3

N2 + 3H2
5g N2 x
=

1 mole N2
28g N2

2 mole NH3
1 mole N2

22.4 L NH3
1 mole NH3

If the law of conservation of mass is true,

how is it possible to make 30.6 g NH3 from
only 5.40 g H2?
Looking back at the equation for the
reaction, you will see that hydrogen is not
the only reactant. Another reactant,
nitrogen, is also involved.
If you were to calculate the number of
grams of nitrogen needed to produce 30.6 g
NH3 and then compare the total masses of
reactants and products, you would have an
answer to this question

LIMITING REAGENT
As you know, a balanced equation is a chemists
recipe - a recipe that can be interpreted on a
microscopic scale (interacting particles) or on a
macroscopic scale (interacting moles).
The coefficients used to write the balanced
equation give both the ratio of representative
particles and the mole ratio.
Recall the equation for the preparation of
ammonia.
N2(g) + 3H2(g)

2NH3(g)

When one molecule of N2 reacts with three molecules

of H2, two molecules of NH3 are produced.
What would happen if two molecules of N 2 reacted with
three molecules of H2? Would more than two molecules
of NH3 be formed?
Before the reaction takes place, nitrogen and hydrogen are
present in a 2:3 molecule ratio.
According to the balanced equation, one molecule of N 2 reacts
with three molecules of H2 to produce two molecules of NH3.
At this point, all the hydrogen has been used up, and the
reaction stops.
One molecule of unused nitrogen is left over, in addition to the
two molecules of ammonia that have been produced.

In this reaction, only the hydrogen is completely used up.

It is called the limiting reagent (reactant).
As the name implies, the limiting reagent (reactant)
limits or determines the amount of product that can be formed
in a reaction.
The reaction occurs only until the limiting reagent (reactant) is
used up.

By contrast, the reactant that is not completely used up in a

reaction is called the excess reagent (reactant).
In this example, nitrogen is the excess reagent (reactant)
because some nitrogen will remain unreacted.

Example:
Sodium chloride can be prepared by the reaction of
sodium metal with chlorine gas.
2Na(s) + Cl2(g)

2NaCl(s)

Suppose that 6.70 mol of Na reacts with 3.20 mol

Cl2.
a.what is the limiting reagent (reactant)?
b.b. how many moles of NaCl are produced?

Solution:
1. List the knowns and unknowns for a.
known: moles of sodium = 6.70 mol Na
moles of chlorine = 3.20 mol Cl2
2 mol Na = 1 mol Cl2 (from balanced
equation)
unknown: limiting reagent (reactant)
2. Solve for the unknown:
1 mol Cl2
6.70 mol Na x
= 3.35 mol Cl2
2 mol Na
Given
amount

Mole
ratio

Required
amount

This calculation indicates that 3.35 mol Cl2 is needed

to react with 6.70 mol Na.
Because only 3.20 mol Cl2 is available, however,
chlorine must be the limiting reagent (reactant).
Sodium, then, must be in excess.
Now, then, to find the amount of product (NaCl)
made.
To find the amount of product, you first have to
identify the limiting reactant.
Once that is done, you use that reactant to
determine the amount of product made, because
once the limiting reagent runs out, no more product
is made.

1. List the knowns and unknowns for b.

known: amount of limiting reagent: 3.20 mol Cl2.
1 mol Cl2 = 2 mol NaCl (from balanced
equation)
unknown: amount (moles) of NaCl produced.
2. Solve

3.20 mol Cl2 x

2 mol NaCl
1 mol Cl2 = 6.40 mol NaCl

PERCENT YIELD
When an equation is used to calculate the amount of
product that will form during a reaction, a value
representing the theoretical yield is obtained.
The theoretical yield is the maximum amount of
product that could be formed from given amounts of
reactants.
In contrast, the amount of product that actually forms
when the reaction is carried out in the laboratory is
called the actual yield. The actual yield is often
less than the theoretical yield.

PERCENT YIELD
The percent yield is the ratio of the actual
yield to the theoretical yield expressed as a
percent. The percent yield measures the
efficiency of the reaction.
Percent yield =

theoretical yield

x 100 %

A percent yield should not normally be larger

than 100%. Many factors can cause percent
yields to be less than 100%.

Example:
Calcium carbonate is decomposed by
heating, as shown in the following equation.
CaCO3(s)
of

CaO(s) + CO2(g)

a. what is the theoretical yield of CaO if 24.8 g

CaCO3 is heated?
b. What is the percent yield if 13.1 g CaO is
produced?

Solution:
1.List the knowns and unknowns in a.
known: mass of CaCO3 = 24.8 g
1 mol CaCO3 = 1 mol CaO (from
balanced equation)

1 mol CaO = 56.1 g (molar mass)

unknown: theoretical yield of CaO = ? g CaO

2. Solve for the unknown.

1 mol CaCO3
1 mol CaO
56.1 g CaO
24.8 g CaCO3 x
x 1 mol CaCO x
1 mol CaO
100.1 g CaCO3
3
given amount

molar mass

mole ratio

molar mass

= 13.9 g CaO
Again, this is the theoretical yield, the amount
you would make if the reaction were 100%
accurate.

3. Determine % yield for b.

actual yield = 13.1 g CaO

theoretical yield = 13.9 g CaO

actual yield
Percent yield = theoretical yield x 100%
Percent yield =

13.1 g CaO
13.9 g CaO

x 100% = 94.2%