OpenStax Chemistry 2e

4.4: Reaction Yields

Chemistry 2e
4: Stoichiometry of Chemical Reactions
61. What is the limiting reactant in a reaction that produces sodium chloride from 8 g of sodium
and 8 g of diatomic chlorine?
Solution
Write the balanced chemical equation and determine the number of moles of each reactant
available.
The reaction is:
2Na + Cl 2   2NaCl
1 mol
Moles of Na = 8 g Na   0.3 mol Na
23.0 g
1 mol
Moles of Cl2 = 8 g  = 0.1 mol Cl 2
70.9 g
The stoichiometric ratio is 2 mol Na: 1 mol Cl2; since the reactants are provided in a 0.3:0.1 or
3:1 ratio, Na is present in excess and Cl2 is the limiting reactant.
63. A student isolated 25 g of a compound following a procedure that would theoretically yield
81 g. What was his percent yield?
25 g
Percent yield =  100% = 31%
81 g
65. Freon-12, CCl2F2, is prepared from CCl4 by reaction with HF. The other product of this
reaction is HCl. Outline the steps needed to determine the percent yield of a reaction that
produces 12.5 g of CCl2F2 from 32.9 g of CCl4. Freon-12 has been banned and is no longer used
as a refrigerant because it catalyzes the decomposition of ozone and has a very long lifetime in
the atmosphere. Determine the percent yield.
Solution
Write and balance the equation for the reaction:
CCl4  2HF    CCl2 F2  2HCl . Molar
masses: CCl4 = 153.82 g/mol; CCl2F2 = 120.89 g/mol. The conversions required are
g CCl4   mol CCl 4   mol CCl 2 F2   g CCl 2 F2 . To find the percent yield, divide
the 12.5 g of CCl2F2 by the theoretical mass, and multiply by 100%. For complete conversion,
1 mol CCl 4 1 mol CCl 2 F2 120.89 g CCl 2 F2
mass CCl2 F2 = 32.9 g CCl 4   
153.82 g CCl4 1 mol CCl4 1 mol CCl 2 F2
= 25.86 g CCl 2F2
12.5 g
percent yield =  100% = 48.3%
25.86 g
67. Toluene, C6H5CH3, is oxidized by air under carefully controlled conditions to benzoic acid,
C6H5CO2H, which is used to prepare the food preservative sodium benzoate, C6H5CO2Na. What
is the percent yield of a reaction that converts 1.000 kg of toluene to 1.21 kg of benzoic acid?
2C6 H5CH 3  3O 2 
 2C6 H 5CO2 H  2 H 2 O
Solution

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4.4: Reaction Yields
1 mol toluene 1 mol benzoic acid 122.1 g benzoic acid
1000 g C6 H 5CH 3   
92.13 g C6 H 5CH 3 1 mol toluene 1 mol benzoic acid
1 kg
  1.325 kg benzoic acid (theoretical yield)
1000 g benzoic acid
1.21 kg
percent yield =  100% = 91.3%
1.325 kg
69. Outline the steps needed to solve the following problem, then do the calculations. Ether,
(C2H5)2O, which was originally used as an anesthetic but has been replaced by safer and more
effective medications, is prepared by the reaction of ethanol with sulfuric acid.
2C 2 H 5OH  H 2SO 4     C2 H5  2 O  H 2SO4 H 2 O
What is the percent yield of ether if 1.17 L (d = 0.7134 g/mL) is isolated from the reaction of
1.500 L of C2H5OH (d = 0.7894 g/mL)?
Solution
Convert mass of ethanol to moles of ethanol; relate the moles of ethanol to the moles of ether
produced using the stoichiometry of the balanced equation. Convert moles of ether to grams;
divide the actual grams of ether (determined through the density) by the theoretical mass to
determine the percent yield.
m
d ether =
V
m = dV = 0.7134 g mL–1  1170 mL = 834.7 g
m
d ether =
V
m = dV = 0.7894 g mL–1  1500 mL = 1184 g
Mass ether = 1.184
1 mol ethanol 1 mol ether 74.1224 g ether
mass ether = g ethanol   
46.0688 g ethanol 2 mol ethanol 1 mol ether
= 0.9525 g
0.8347 g
percent yield =  100% = 87.6%
0.9525 g
71. Outline the steps needed to determine the limiting reactant when 0.50 g of Cr and 0.75 g of
H3PO4 react according to the following chemical equation?
2Cr  2H3PO 4    2CrPO 4  3H 2
Determine the limiting reactant.
Solution
The conversion needed is
mol Cr    mol H3 PO4 . Then compare the amount of Cr to the
amount of acid present.
2 mol H 3PO 4
0.50 mol Cr  = 0.50 H 3PO 4
2 mol Cr
Thus, 0.25 mol H3PO4 is in excess, so Cr is the limiting reactant.
73. Uranium can be isolated from its ores by dissolving it as UO2(NO3)2, then separating it as
solid UO2(C2O4) ∙ 3H2O. Addition of 0.4031 g of sodium oxalate, Na2C2O4, to a solution
containing 1.481 g of uranyl nitrate, UO2(NO2)2, yields 1.073 g of solid UO2(C2O4) ∙ 3H2O.

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4.4: Reaction Yields

Na 2 C2 O 4  UO 2  NO 3  2  3H 2O   UO 2  C 2O 4  3H 2O  2NaNO 3
Determine the limiting reactant and the percent yield of this reaction.
Solution
Using the balanced equation, determine which reactant quantity produces the smallest theoretical
yield. This quantity represents the largest amount of product that can be produced. Then
calculate the percent yield. The conversions for reaction 1 using the nitrate as limiting reactant
are
g UO 2  NO3  2   UO 2  NO3  2 + 3H 2O    UO 2  C2 O4  3H 2O 
 g UO 2  NO3  2 3H 2O

.
The answer to this calculation should be compared with the answer from reaction 2 that uses
sodium oxalate as the limiting reactant and requires the following conversions:
g sodium oxalate    mol sodium oxalate   mol UO 2  C2O 4  3H 2 O 
 g UO 2  C 2O 4  3H 2O

Molar masses: UO2(NO3)2 = 394.04 g/mol
Na2C2O4 = 134.00 g/mol
UO2(C2O4)∙3H2O = 412.09 g/mol
Reaction 1:
1 mol UO 2 (NO3 ) 2 1 mol UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3H 2 O
mass (product) = 1.48 g UO 2 (NO 3 ) 2  
394.04 g UO 2 (NO 3 ) 2 1 mol UO 2 (NO3 ) 2
412.09 g UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3H 2 O
 = 1.55 g UO 2 (C 2O 4 )3H 2O
1 mol UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3H 2 O
React
ion 2:
1 mol Na 2 C 2 O 4 1 mol UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3 H 2 O
mass (product) = 0.403 g Na 2 C 2 O 4  
134.00 g Na 2 C 2 O 4 1 mol Na 2 C 2 O 4
412.09 g UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3H 2 O
 = 1.24 g UO 2 (C2 O 4 )3H 2 O
1 mol UO 2 (C 2 O 4 )3 H 2 O Ba
sed on the two masses, the smaller mass is the limiting reactant. Thus, Na2C2O4 is the limiting
reactant. An amount of UO2(NO3)2 is left unreacted.
1.073 g
percent yield =  100 = 86.6%
1.24 g
75. How many molecules of the sweetener saccharin can be prepared from 30 C atoms, 25 H
atoms, 12 O atoms, 8 S atoms, and 14 N atoms?

Solution
Determine the number of atoms of each element in saccharin and then compare these numbers to
the numbers of atoms available. The numbers of atoms in saccharin are seven C atoms, five H
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4.4: Reaction Yields
atoms, three O atoms, one S atom, and one N atom. Compare these to the numbers of atoms
available. Divide each of the required number of atoms into the corresponding number of atoms
available. These relationships are 30/7 C, 25/5 H, 12/3 O, 8/1 S, and 14/1 N. The smallest value
is four for O, so only four molecules can be made.
77. Would you agree to buy 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) gold atoms for $5? Explain why or
why not. Find the current price of gold at http://money.cnn.com/data/commodities/ (
1 troy ounce  31.1 g )
Solution
1  1012 atoms Au
mass Au = 1
 196.97 g mol1 = 3.27  10 10 g
6.022  10 atoms mol
23

This amount cannot be weighted by ordinary balances and is worthless.

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