Skip to main content

Limiting Reactant

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

The limiting reactant is the reactant fully consumed first, capping the amount of product a reaction can form.

Show

Given excess hydrogen and a fixed, smaller amount of chlorine, the reaction stops once chlorine runs out, whatever hydrogen remains.

Watch for

The limiting reactant is not whichever substance has the smaller starting mass — identity depends on the equation's mole ratio too.