Chemical Reaction Calculation: Determining Percentage Yield

How do I determine the percentage yield?

Given that 15.5 grams of phosphorus reacted with 30 grams of oxygen to produce 28 grams of P₄O₁₀, how can we determine the percentage yield?

Calculation Process

To determine the percentage yield, we first need to find the theoretical yield of P₄O₁₀. Here are the steps:

• Determine the balanced chemical equation: 4P + 5O₂ → 2P₄O₁₀
• Convert the given masses of phosphorus and oxygen to moles
• Use the mole ratio from the balanced equation to calculate the theoretical yield of P₄O₁₀
• Calculate the percentage yield using the given mass of P₄O₁₀ and the theoretical yield

First, let's determine the balanced chemical equation for the reaction between phosphorus and oxygen:

4P + 5O₂ → 2P₄O₁₀

Using the balanced equation, we can calculate the theoretical yield of P₄O₁₀ by converting the given masses of phosphorus and oxygen to moles and using the mole ratio from the equation:

• Mass of Phosphorus (P) = 15.5 grams
• Mass of Oxygen (O₂) = 30 grams
• Actual yield of P₄O₁₀ = 28 grams

Next, calculate the moles of P and O₂:

• Moles of P = 15.5 g / molar mass of P
• Moles of O₂ = 30 g / molar mass of O₂

Using the mole ratios from the balanced equation, we can now calculate the theoretical yield of P₄O₁₀:

• Mole ratio of P₄O₁₀ to P = 2:4
• Mole ratio of P₄O₁₀ to O₂ = 2:5

Finally, after finding the theoretical yield, we can calculate the percentage yield using the given mass of P₄O₁₀ and the theoretical yield. This will give us the efficiency of the reaction in producing the desired product.