Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Chemical Reaction Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry is the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions. It is based on the balanced chemical equation, which shows the ratio of molecules involved in the reaction. For the reaction between nitrogen monoxide (NO) and oxygen (O2) to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2), understanding the stoichiometric coefficients is essential to determine how many molecules of NO2 can be produced from given amounts of NO and O2.
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Balancing Chemical Equations
Balancing chemical equations ensures that the number of atoms for each element is the same on both sides of the equation. For the reaction of NO and O2, the balanced equation is 2NO + O2 → 2NO2. This indicates that two molecules of NO react with one molecule of O2 to produce two molecules of NO2, which is crucial for calculating the maximum yield of products from the reactants.
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Balancing Chemical Equations
Limiting Reactant
The limiting reactant is the substance that is completely consumed first in a chemical reaction, thus determining the maximum amount of product that can be formed. In the reaction between NO and O2, identifying which reactant is limiting is essential to calculate how many molecules of NO2 can be produced. If one reactant is in excess, it will not affect the total amount of product formed.
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