What does stoichiometry refer to in chemistry?

Stoichiometry is a branch of chemistry that involves the calculation of the quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions. This concept is foundational in understanding how substances interact during reactions, allowing chemists to predict how much product can be formed from a given amount of reactants or what is needed to fully react with the available substances. Stoichiometric calculations rely on the coefficients from balanced chemical equations, which represent the mole ratios of the reactants and products.

In stoichiometry, the relationships between the amounts of different substances in a reaction are expressed in moles, enabling precise calculations. This is vital for both theoretical chemistry and practical applications, such as in lab settings where accurate measurements of chemicals are crucial for successful reactions.

By contrast, other areas mentioned in the options such as atomic structures, thermal properties, or gaseous reactions represent different fields of study within chemistry that do not specifically focus on the quantitative relationships between reactants and products in chemical equations. Therefore, the definition of stoichiometry clearly aligns with the calculations associated with these chemical interactions.