Final answer:
The theoretical yield of aspirin can be calculated by converting the mass of salicylic acid used to moles and then using the stoichiometry of the reaction to convert moles of salicylic acid to moles of aspirin. The actual yield is the amount of aspirin obtained experimentally. The percent yield can be calculated by dividing the actual yield by the theoretical yield and multiplying by 100%.
Step-by-step explanation:
Theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product that can be formed in a chemical reaction, calculated based on the stoichiometry of the reaction. To determine the theoretical yield of aspirin, we need to calculate the molar amount of salicylic acid used and then convert it to moles of aspirin using the stoichiometry of the reaction:
Moles of salicylic acid = mass of salicylic acid / molar mass of salicylic acid
Theoretical yield of aspirin = moles of salicylic acid x molar mass of aspirin
In this case, the mass of salicylic acid is 1.50 g and the molar mass of salicylic acid is 138.121 g/mol. The molar mass of aspirin is 180.159 g/mol.
Moles of salicylic acid = 1.50 g / 138.121 g/mol = 0.0109 mol
Theoretical yield of aspirin = 0.0109 mol x 180.159 g/mol = 1.97 g
The actual yield of aspirin is the amount of aspirin obtained experimentally. In this case, the actual yield is given as 1.75 g.
To calculate the percent yield, we use the formula:
Percent yield = (actual yield / theoretical yield) x 100%
Percent yield = (1.75 g / 1.97 g) x 100% = 88.8%