Final answer:
To determine the theoretical yield of butyric acid, we need to identify the limiting reactant and use the stoichiometric ratio in the balanced chemical equation. In this case, ethanol is the limiting reactant and the theoretical yield of butyric acid is 2.90 g.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to determine the theoretical yield, we need to first identify the limiting reactant. The theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product that can be obtained from a reaction based on the amount of limiting reactant present. To do this, we need to compare the moles of each reactant to the stoichiometric ratio in the balanced chemical equation.
Given 7.05 g of butyric acid and 2.90 g of ethanol, we can convert these masses into moles using their molar masses. The molar mass of butyric acid (CH3CH2CH2COOH) is 88.11 g/mol, and the molar mass of ethanol (C2H5OH) is 46.07 g/mol.
Once we have the moles of each reactant, we can compare them to the stoichiometric ratio in the balanced chemical equation to determine the limiting reactant. In this case, since the coefficients of both reactants are 1, the mole ratio is 1:1. Therefore, the limiting reactant is ethanol.
Finally, we can use the mole ratio between ethanol and butyric acid in the balanced chemical equation to calculate the theoretical yield of butyric acid. Since the mole ratio is 1:1, the theoretical yield of butyric acid is also 2.90 g.