The percentage yield is a measure of how much product is produced, compared to the theoretical maximum amount of product that could be produced. Theoretical yield is calculated using an equation that takes into account many factors such as the number of reactants and products in your reaction, as well as their relative atomic weights.
Definition of theoretical yield
Theoretical yield is a measure of how much product is produced in a chemical reaction as compared to how much could be produced if the reaction were carried out perfectly. For example, if you were to take all of your reactants and products and put them in one big container, they would form a mixture composed of every possible ratio between reactants and products. In this mixture, the amount of each reactant that would produce one molecule of the product would form an infinitesimally small part of the overall volume. Theoretical yields are calculated by taking that infinitesimal part and dividing it by 100%. This yields an approximation for what percentage yield you’ll actually get when carrying out your experiment since not all reactants will have time to interact with each other properly before being consumed.
You may have noticed that the percentage yield of a reaction is always lower than the theoretical yield. This is because percentage yield is only theoretical, as it does not take into account the actual amount produced. The theoretical yield is simply the maximum amount of product that could be produced by a given reaction in a 100% efficient system; however, many reactions are not 100% efficient and so this number cannot be reached.
The percentage yield
The percentage yield is also referred to as “theoretical yield”. Theoretical yield is calculated using the ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical maximum yield. Theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product that could be produced from a given quantity of reactants and assumes that all conditions are ideal.
The percentage yield is the actual amount of product produced, divided by the theoretical maximum amount of product. The theoretical maximum amount of product is the theoretical maximum amount of product that could be produced if all reactants were used and there was no waste or loss of heat or other products.
It’s important to note that not all reactions will have a 100% yield. For example, if you were conducting an experiment involving baking soda and vinegar, it would be impossible for you to reach 100% yield because some of your reaction products would simply evaporate into thin air during your experiment due to heat (this is called “sublimation”).
Conclusion
The percentage yield is the actual amount of product produced, divided by the theoretical maximum amount of product. It is important to note that this value does not take into account any losses that may have occurred during production.
FAQ
What determines the theoretical yield in a chemical reaction?
Theoretical yield is calculated based on the stoichiometry of the chemical equation.
What is stoichiometry?
Stoichiometry is often used to balance chemical equations (reaction stoichiometry).
How is stoichiometry used in chemistry?
Stoichiometry uses the proportional nature of chemical equations to determine the amount of reactant needed to produce a given amount of product or predict the amount that will be produced from a given amount of reactant.
