CaCo_3 + 2 HCl - > CaCl_2 +CO_2 + H_2O

write down the name or formula of the limiting reagent in the above reaction.

1 answer

In the reaction you provided:

\[ \text{CaCO}_3 + 2 \text{HCl} \rightarrow \text{CaCl}_2 + \text{CO}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O} \]

To identify the limiting reagent, you need to determine the amounts of each reactant you have. The limiting reagent is the reactant that is completely consumed first, limiting the amount of product that can be formed.

If you have given quantities of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and hydrochloric acid (HCl), you can compare the mole ratios based on the balanced equation. According to the reaction:

  • 1 mole of CaCO₃ reacts with 2 moles of HCl.

If you know the initial amounts (in moles) of CaCO₃ and HCl, you can calculate which one is the limiting reagent.

For example, if you start with:

  • 1 mole of CaCO₃
  • 1 mole of HCl

In this scenario, you would run out of HCl first (since 1 mole of CaCO₃ requires 2 moles of HCl), making HCl the limiting reagent.

However, without specific initial amounts provided, I cannot definitively identify the limiting reagent in this reaction. If you provide the amounts of CaCO₃ and HCl, I can help determine the limiting reagent.