Aluminium reacts with iron (III) oxide, Fe₂O₃, to give iron metal and aluminium oxide, Al₂O₃.
The a) part of the question was to find the balanced equation of this reaction - which is:
2Al + Fe₂O₃ = 2Fe + Al₂O₃
b) In an experiment, 32.0g of iron (III) oxide was reacted with 16.2g of aluminium. Which of the two reactants is the limiting reactor?
Ans: In the reaction, the mole ratio of Al to Fe₂O₃ is 2:1, so 0.600 mol of Al could react with 0.300 mol of Fe₂O₃. There is only 0.200 mol available, though, so the Fe₂O₃ is the limiting reactant and Al is in excess.
So, what is the maximum mass of iron that could be collected at the end of this experiment?