Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry (pronounced: stoy-kee-om-uh-tree) is a branch of Chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships that exist between the reactants and products in chemical reactions.

Etymology

The term "Stoichiometry" is derived from the Greek words "stoicheion" meaning element and "metron" meaning measure.

Definition

Stoichiometry is the calculation of relative quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions. It is founded on the Law of Conservation of Mass and the Law of Definite Proportions.

Related Terms

Mole: The mole is the unit of measurement in the International System of Units for amount of substance.
Molar Mass: Molar mass is the mass of a given substance divided by the amount of that substance, measured in g/mol.
Chemical Equation: A chemical equation is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction where the reactants are given on the left-hand side and the products on the right-hand side.
Limiting Reagent: The limiting reagent is the substance that is totally consumed when the chemical reaction is complete.
Theoretical Yield: The theoretical yield is the amount predicted by a stoichiometric calculation based on the number of moles of all reactants present.

Applications

Stoichiometry is used in many fields of science, including chemistry, biology, and physics, to predict how elements and compounds will react with each other. It is also used in industry to calculate the amounts of chemicals needed for a particular process and to determine the efficiency of a chemical reaction.