% yield [ENDORSED]

[Tim Foster 2A]

Hey, what is the difference between percent yield and theoretical yield?

[Kevin Ru 1D]

Theoretical yield is what you calculate with Stoichiometry and is the maximum amount of product that can be produced. The percent yield is the fraction of the theoretical yield that is actually produced aka the amount of the theoretical yield that you obtained, expressed as a percentage. You would find this by taking the actual yield (should be given) divided by the theoretical yield (what you calculated) and multiply by 100. Actual yield should be smaller than theoretical yield. Hope this helps!

[Chem_Mod]

That is correct. Percent yield is essentially (actual yield/theoretical yield) x 100%. The actual yield is what you actually obtain after an experiment, and the theoretical yield is what you calculate based on a chemical equation and other information given (i.e., how many grams of a reactant you start with, etc.). Theoretically, percent yields SHOULD be smaller than theoretical yields, but sometimes in some laboratory experiments, the % yield can be greater than 100 if you accidentally collect impurities into your final sample or other errors occur during the course of an experiment.