Today, we synthesized all of the concepts we've learned about Stoichiometry into the idea of percent yield. Percent yields are used to compare the amount obtained to the potential that could have been obtained. We learned about the real world usage of percent yields in fields such as the drug industry. It was amazing the impact such a seemingly minute improvement could have on productivity.
The way to determine percent yield is to divide the actual yield by the theoretical yield. First, you have to find what each of those are. Actual yield can only be obtained through experimentation and producing a measurable reaction. Theoretical yield is found through the same stoichiometric formulas we've used before to convert mass of a reactant to mass of a product.
Mr. Lieberman did a demonstration for the class to find the percent yield for. Sucrose was dehydrated using Sulfuric Acid to form Carbon (Graphite) and Water. After the reaction, we realized that the actual yield actually was larger than the theoretical yield. However, there were some flaws in our experiment as there could have still been excess water and acid. From this, we learned that the theoretical yield should typically be less than the actual yield.
Hope everyone had a great break, and there's only two and a half more weeks until the next one!
The next scribe is Ben T
No comments:
Post a Comment