Limiting reagent: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Vipul Naik
(New page: The '''limiting reagent''' (or '''limiting reactant''') in a chemical reaction is the reactant that will first get exhausted, and which hence ''limits'' how far the reaction can go. The l...)
 
imported>Vipul Naik
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{subpages}}
The '''limiting reagent''' (or '''limiting reactant''') in a chemical reaction is the reactant that will first get exhausted, and which hence ''limits'' how far the reaction can go.
The '''limiting reagent''' (or '''limiting reactant''') in a chemical reaction is the reactant that will first get exhausted, and which hence ''limits'' how far the reaction can go.



Latest revision as of 11:12, 14 March 2008

This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

The limiting reagent (or limiting reactant) in a chemical reaction is the reactant that will first get exhausted, and which hence limits how far the reaction can go.

The limiting reagent is not something intrinsic to the reaction itself, but depends both on the equation of the reaction and on the quantities of the reagents present in the given chemical setup.

The notion of limiting reagent is typically useful for reactions that are irreversible, or where there is a severe barrier to the reverse reaction occurring. For reversible reaction, the notion of chemical equilibrium gives a more accurate picture.