Calculating Percent Yield in Chemistry

Understanding Percent Yield Calculation in Chemistry

When conducting chemical reactions in a laboratory, one of the essential concepts to understand is the percent yield. Percent yield is a measure of how efficient a chemical reaction is in producing the desired product. It provides insight into the actual outcome of an experiment compared to the expected result based on calculations.

For example, let's consider a student who isolated 15.6 g of product from a chemical reaction. After performing the necessary calculations, she determined that the reaction should have produced 18.4 g of product. To evaluate the efficiency of the reaction, the student needs to calculate the percent yield.

Calculating Percent Yield

Percent yield is calculated by comparing the actual yield (the amount of product obtained in the experiment) to the theoretical yield (the amount of product expected based on stoichiometry).

The formula for percent yield is:

Percent Yield = (Actual Yield / Theoretical Yield) * 100

Using the values provided:

Actual Yield = 15.6 g

Theoretical Yield = 18.4 g

Plugging these values into the formula:

Percent Yield = (15.6 g / 18.4 g) * 100

Percent Yield = 0.8478 * 100

Percent Yield ≈ 84.78%

Therefore, the student's percent yield is approximately 84.78%. This means that the actual yield obtained from the reaction was 84.78% of the expected yield, indicating a relatively efficient reaction.

A student isolated 15.6 g of product from a chemical reaction. She calculated that the reactions should have produced 18.4 g of product. What was the student's percent yield?

Answer:

Explanation:

To calculate the percent yield, you need to compare the actual yield (the amount of product obtained in the experiment) to the theoretical yield (the amount of product calculated based on stoichiometry and other factors). The formula for percent yield is:

Percent Yield = (Actual Yield / Theoretical Yield) * 100

In this case, the actual yield is 15.6 g, and the theoretical yield is 18.4 g. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:

Percent Yield = (15.6 g / 18.4 g) * 100

Percent Yield = 0.8478 * 100

Percent Yield ≈84.78%

Therefore, the student's percent yield is approximately 84.78%.

← How to calculate the percentage of nickel in stainless steel alloy The importance of mole in chemistry →