Name ____________________________________________ Period _____ Date __________ INVESTIGATING LIMITING REACTANTS A limiting reactant is the reactant in a reaction that

limits the amount of product that can be produced. An everyday example of a limiting reactant would be a sandwich ingredient that limits the amount of sandwiches that can be made. If you are like me, your turkey sandwich must have: 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 4 slices of turkey, 3 lettuce leaves, 2 slices of pepper jack cheese, and 2 slices of bread. When preparing turkey sandwiches for a picnic you realize you have 26 slices of bread, 34 leaves of lettuce, 30 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 32 slices of turkey, and 18 slices of cheese. Which ingredient will limit how many sandwiches you can make? This is your limiting ingredient or limiting reactant because when it runs out you cannot make any more sandwiches. In chemistry a similar situation frequently arises. Most chemical reactions take place using nearly all of one reactant and leaving the other reactant(s) in excess. Once any one reactant is used up it is impossible to produce any more of the product(s). A balanced equation, much like the recipe for Caesar salad, and tells a chemist how much of each reactant is needed and how much product can be produced. The mole ratio is used in a conversion factor to calculate how much product can be produced from each reactant which allows identification of the reactant that is limiting. The reactant that is left over is called the excess reactant. And the amount of product that can be produced when all of the limiting reactant is used is called the theoretical yield. The percent of the theoretical yield that is actually recovered is the percent yield. In this lab you will determine which reactant is the limiting reactant for the reaction below and you will calculate the percent yield of the product. sodium phosphate 12 H2O + zinc acetate 2 H2O zinc phosphate 4 H2O + sodium acetate + water

Problem Statement: The purpose of this investigation is to determine which reactant, sodium phophate or zinc acetate, will limit the production of zinc phosphate. The independent variable is the mass of each reactant used and the dependent variable is the mass of zinc phosphate produced. Hypothesis: Read the following procedure and write a hypothesis predicting the mass of zinc phosphate that can be produced based on the masses of the reactants. Your hypothesis should include a balanced equation and calculations. Note the formulas for the reactants include water (hydrates). Equipment: 150 mL beaker 100 mL graduated cylinder stirring rod 250 mL beaker Procedure 1. Using the balance, determine the mass of a piece of weighing paper and measure the mass of exactly 1.00 g of zinc acetate hydrate on the weighing paper. Record the mass in your data table. 2. Place the zinc acetate hydrate in a clean 150 mL beaker and add 50 mL of deionized water. Stir thoroughly until all crystals are dissolved. Rinse stirring rod. balance ring stand and ring funnel filter paper Materials: zinc acetate Zn(C2H3O2)2 2 H2O sodium phosphate Na3PO4 12 H2O deionized water

3. Follow step (1) for exactly 1.00 g of sodium phosphate hydrate. 4. Place the sodium phosphate hydrate in a clean 250 mL beaker and add 50 mL of deionized water. Stir thoroughly to make sure all crystals are dissolved. Rinse stirring rod. 5. Pour the zinc acetate solution into the beaker of sodium phosphate. Stir the mixture a minute or two and then let it sit until the precipitate settles. 6. Use a pencil to label a piece of filter paper and determine the mass of the piece of filter paper. Record the mass in your data table. 7. Fold the filter paper into quarters and place it in the funnel. Figure 1. 8. Place the funnel in the ring on the stand so that it drains into an empty beaker. 9. Pour the mixture from the 250 mL beaker into the funnel. Pour slowly. Do not allow the liquid to rise above the edge of the filter paper in the funnel. 10. Rinse the 250 mL beaker with about 20 mL of distilled water. Pour the rinse water through the funnel. Repeat until all the precipitate is out of the beaker. 11. Carefully remove the filter paper and the precipitate from the funnel and spread the filter paper out on a folded paper towel to dry. Label the paper towel. Your teacher will tell you where to leave your precipitate. 12. Measure the mass of the dry filter paper and precipitate and record in your data table.

QuickTime and a decompressor are needed to see this picture.

Figure 1 Data: Prepare a data table using your EDR as a guide. Calculations 1. Write a balanced equation for the double replacement reaction that occurs in this investigation. 2. Calculate the mass of zinc phosphate hydrate that could be produced by fully reacting 1.00 g of each of the reactants. 3. Identify the limiting reactant and the theoretical yield of zinc phosphate hydrate. 4. Determine the mass of zinc phosphate hydrate produced (actual yield). 5. Calculate the percent yield. Analysis, Conclusion, Evaluation Use your EDR to write an analysis, conclusion, and error evaluation of the investigation.