Advanced Calculations and Real Reactions
Here's where chemistry gets properly mathematical! Moles represent the amount of substance you're working with - think of it as chemistry's way of counting particles. One mole contains a massive 6.02 × 10²³ particles, whether they're atoms, molecules, or ions.
The magic formula MOLES = MASS ÷ Mr unlocks most calculation problems. Once you know the moles of one substance in a reaction, you can use the balanced equation's ratios to find masses of other substances involved.
Limiting reactants are the party-poopers of chemistry - they run out first and stop the reaction dead. Unless you mix reactants in perfect proportions, one will always limit how much product you can make. The other reactant just sits there in excess, unused.
Key Insight: In any reaction, the limiting reactant determines how much product you'll actually get!
Concentration measures how crowded solute particles are in a solution. Higher concentration means more solute packed into the same volume, or the same amount of solute squeezed into less space. The key relationship is: Mass of Solute = Concentration × Volume.