HL Chemistry Lab

Hey, I have a lab to do for solutions, and its pretty much the reaction between sodium carbonate and calcium chloride. The objectives are to determine the percentage yield and the limiting reactant. As well, we are also asked to "qualitatively observe the reaction to determine the limiting reactant". How are we supposed to determine the limiting reactant by observing a reaction?

Thanks a lot!

Reply 1

ragnar_jonsson

stealth123

Hmm... I have a hunch that it has something to do with the 'carbonate'. Did a gas form? Was there any visible change in color?

Give us your qualitative data notes :wink:

Reply 2

Qwaps

If I understand it correctly, the reaction should give you a white precipitate (calcium carbonate) after mixing two colorless solutions. What you could use to find the limiting reactant qualitatively is probably something like "after adding 47 cubic centimeters of the sodium carbonate solution to the calcium chloride solution, now more precipitate formed by adding more of the sodium chloridde solution, making the calcium chloride the limiting reactant." You can always make one of the solutions be the limiting reactant by adding more of the other one and see when the precipitate stops forming.

Reply 3

JamesHoKS

Add excess of one reactant to a fixed amount of the other reactant. Qualitatively, you can see which is the limiting reagent by the bubbling. When effervescence stops, it means that most of the limiting reactant has been used up.