Final answer:
The percent yield of a chemical reaction is calculated using the actual yield and theoretical yield. For the student's reaction with an actual yield of 25 grams and a theoretical yield of 81 grams, the percent yield is 30.9%.
Step-by-step explanation:
The percent yield of a reaction measures the efficiency of a reaction and is calculated using the following formula:
Percent Yield = (Actual Yield / Theoretical Yield) × 100%
In this case, the actual yield is 25 grams, and the theoretical yield is 81 grams. To calculate the percent yield, we apply the numbers to the formula:
Percent Yield = (25 / 81) × 100% = 30.8642%
After rounding to the nearest tenth, the percent yield is 30.9%, so the correct answer would be (a) 30.9%.