1. Write the Balanced Chemical Equation:

The reaction between zinc (Zn) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) produces zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) and hydrogen gas (H₂):

Zn(s) + 2HCl(aq) → ZnCl₂(aq) + H₂(g)

2. Determine the Limiting Reactant:

To find out which reactant limits the amount of product formed, we need to calculate the moles of each reactant:

* Moles of Zinc:

- Molar mass of Zn = 65.38 g/mol

- Moles of Zn = (0.25 g) / (65.38 g/mol) = 0.0038 mol

* Moles of HCl:

- Assuming the HCl solution is concentrated (12 M) (This is a common concentration for lab HCl, but you should check the actual concentration if you have it).

- Moles of HCl = (12 mol/L) * (0.01 L) = 0.12 mol

Since the moles of Zn are much smaller than the moles of HCl, zinc is the limiting reactant.

3. Calculate Moles of Zinc Reacted:

The limiting reactant determines the amount of product formed. Since we have 0.0038 moles of Zn, and the reaction uses 1 mole of Zn for every 1 mole of ZnCl₂ formed, the moles of Zn reacted is 0.0038 mol.

Therefore, 0.0038 moles of zinc reacted.