sztöchiometric

Stoichiometry is a branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in chemical reactions. The term "stoichiometry" comes from the Greek words "stoicheion" meaning element and "metron" meaning measure. It allows chemists to predict the amounts of substances involved in a chemical reaction.

The foundation of stoichiometry lies in the law of conservation of mass, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. Therefore, the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products. This principle is applied by balancing chemical equations. A balanced chemical equation uses coefficients to ensure that the number of atoms of each element is the same on both the reactant and product sides of the equation.

Stoichiometric calculations are used to determine the theoretical yield of a reaction, which is the maximum amount of product that can be formed from a given amount of reactants, assuming the reaction goes to completion. This is done by using mole ratios derived from the balanced chemical equation. It also helps in identifying the limiting reactant, which is the reactant that is completely consumed first and thus determines the amount of product formed. The other reactants are then considered to be in excess. Understanding stoichiometry is crucial for experimental design, chemical synthesis, and industrial chemical processes.