Question

Phosgenite, a lead compound with the formula Pb2Cl2CO3, is found in Egyptian cosmetics. Phosgenite was prepared by the reaction of PbO, NaCl , and CO2. An unbalanced equation of the reactant mixture is PbO (s) + NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) + CO2 (g) \rightarrow Pb2Cl2CO3 (s) + NaOH (aq)

How many grams of phosgenite can be obtained from 10.0 g of PbO and 10.0 g of NaCl in the presence of excess water and CO2?

Answer 1

2PbO(s) + 2NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)==> Pb2Cl2CO3(s) + 2NaOH(aq)

This is a limiting reagent problem(LR).
mols PbO = grams/molar mass = ?
mols NaCl = grams/molar mass = ?

Using the coefficients in the balanced equation, convert mols PbO to mols of your product.
Do the same and convert mols NaCl to mols of your product.

It is likely that mols of the product will not be the same. In LR problems, the SMALLER number is always the correct one and the reagent producing that number is the LR.

Using the smaller number of moles of phosgenite, convert to grams.
grams = mols x molar mass = ?