Final answer:
To find the actual mass of Si₃N₄ produced with an 88% yield, multiply the theoretical mass (which would be calculated from 0.0712 moles of silicon) by the percent yield of 0.88.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the actual mass of Si3N4 produced with an 88% yield, we first need to determine the theoretical mass that could be produced from the given amount of silicon. Since the question indicates that we should compute the amount of product from the provided reactants, and given the information that 0.0712 moles of silicon would yield a certain mass of silicon nitride, we will use stoichiometry to calculate this theoretical mass. However, since the exact amount of Si3N4 that would be produced from 0.0712 moles of silicon is not provided in the question, we will assume it to be the stoichiometrically equivalent mass.
To find the actual mass, we multiply the theoretical mass by the percent yield (in this case, 88%). For example, if the theoretical mass was 10 grams, then the actual mass would be 10 grams x 0.88 = 8.8 grams of Si3N4.