Science
Stoichiometry.
Definition
Stoichiometry is the area of chemistry that uses balanced chemical equations to calculate the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows chemists to predict how much product will form or how much reactant is needed.
How it works · 5 phases
Step by step.
- Write and balance the chemical equation.
- Convert given quantities (grams, liters, molecules) to moles using molar mass or Avogadro's number.
- Use mole ratios from the balanced equation to convert between substances.
- Convert moles of the desired substance back to the requested unit (grams, liters, etc.).
- Identify the limiting reagent if more than one reactant is given.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Calculating how many grams of CO₂ are produced from burning 10 g of methane
- 2 Determining the limiting reagent when mixing hydrogen and oxygen to make water
- 3 Finding the volume of gas produced at STP from a known mass of reactant
Key Fact
The mole ratio from the balanced equation is the key conversion factor in all stoichiometry problems