The Limiting Reactants simulation allows you to investigate the concepts of a limiting and excess reactant. There are eight different reactions to study. The simulation loads a specified number of moles into a reactor. The reaction proceeds until one or both of the reactants are used up. A Bar Chart and an ICE Table provide information about the amounts of reactants and products.

8

You can pick a reaction by tapping on one of the eight reaction buttons on the left side of the simulation window. Reactions can only be picked when a trial has ended or has been paused and reset using the Reset button.

The simulation can run at three different speeds. The Sim Speed setting can be adjusted on the left side of the simulation window. For most purposes, a Sim Speed of 1 will work best. If you are using large amounts of reactants (more than 100 moles), a Sim Speed of 2 or 4 might work best.

Information

Start

→

Reaction 1:

Pick a Reaction

Availability Ratio:

Pause

Reset

Continue

When a simulation is not running, the initial amounts of reactants can be adjusted using the arrows. There are two sets of up/down arrows for each reactant. The larger arrows change the amounts by 10.0 moles. The smaller arrows change the amounts by 1.0 mole.  A trial is run by a tap on the Start button. Once started, a trial can be paused. Once paused, it can be continued or reset. Once the simulation ends, the Reset button must be tapped to erase the output data and prepare for a new trial.

# moles N2

Coefficient Ratio:

1

2

Close

# moles H2

3

Useful Tools

4

5

50.0

+

ICE Table: Moles of Each Substance

6

0.0

7

Like most our simulations, the Limiting Reactants simulation is accompanied by a freely downloadable Student Activity Sheet. The Activity Sheet is designed to support classrooms who use our simulations as in-class or out-of-class activities. The Activity Sheet provides a guided experience with our simulation in an attempt to accomplish a distinct learning outcome. 

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View Concept Checker

Many of our simulations are accompanied by Concept Checkers. A Concept Checker is a tool that assesses a student’s understanding of the key concepts. The questions are inspired by the Student Activity Sheet. They make for a great follow-up to a simulation and accompaying Student Activity Sheet.

Set the Initial Reactant Amounts

# of Moles

4

View Student Activity Sheet

Select Sim Speed