Stoichiometry involves using balanced chemical equations to relate the amounts of reactants and products in a reaction. It is hugely valuable in predicting the outcomes of chemical reactions based on known quantities.
In the chemical reaction to produce slaked lime, we have:
- Reactants: Calcium oxide \( \text{CaO} \) and Water \( \text{H}_2\text{O} \)
- Product: Slaked lime \( \text{Ca(OH)}_2 \)
The balanced equation, \[ \text{CaO(s)} + \text{H}_2\text{O}(l) \rightarrow \text{Ca(OH)}_2(s) \], indicates that one mole of calcium oxide reacts with one mole of water to produce one mole of slaked lime.
For the given problem, after determining the moles of \( \text{Ca(OH)}_2 \) produced, the stoichiometric relation tells us this same number of moles corresponds to the initial quantities of reactants. Using the number of moles and the known \( \Delta H \), we calculate the total heat released, which is critical in many practical applications, like processing reactions on an industrial scale.