Final answer:
To estimate the percent recovery of luminol, compute the moles of reactants, determine the limiting reactant, calculate the theoretical yield based on this limiting reactant, and then determine the percent yield by comparing the actual yield to the theoretical yield.
Step-by-step explanation:
To estimate the percent recovery of luminol, you need to follow a series of steps involving stoichiometry and concepts of limiting reagents. First, calculate the number of moles of each reactant. This involves converting the mass of reactants to moles using their respective molar masses.
Next, write the balanced chemical equation for the synthesis of luminol. With the balanced equation and the molar amounts of reactants, you can compare the mole ratios and determine the limiting reactant. The limiting reactant is the one that will run out first, dictating the maximum amount of product that can be formed.
Using the mole ratio between the limiting reactant and the product from the balanced equation, calculate the theoretical yield in moles of luminol. Then, convert this to the mass of luminol for the theoretical yield. Finally, to find the percent recovery (also known as percent yield), divide the actual yield by the theoretical yield and multiply by 100%. This value indicates the efficiency of the reaction. Remember that the actual yield is typically lower than the theoretical yield due to practical limitations in a laboratory setting.