Final answer:
To determine the theoretical yield of O2 when 12.0g P4 reacts with 10.0g O2, you must convert the mass of each reactant to moles, use the stoichiometric ratios to find the limiting reactant, and then convert moles back to grams for the product.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theoretical yield of O2 when 12.0g P4 reacts with 10.0g O2 can be calculated through stoichiometry. The balanced equation for the reaction needs to be written out to determine the mole-to-mole ratio. This information is not directly provided, but as an example, if we assume the reaction is P4 + 6O2 → 4P2O5, we can use stoichiometry to find the theoretical yield.
First, we must convert grams to moles for each reactant. For P4, its molar mass is approximately 123.9 g/mol. For O2, the molar mass is 32.00 g/mol. We use these values to convert 12.0g of P4 and 10.0g of O2 to moles. Then we use the stoichiometric ratios from the balanced equation to find out how many moles of O2 would react completely with the moles of P4. Since we are trying to find the yield of O2, we'd determine which reactant is the limiting reactant and calculate the maximum amount of product that can be formed from it.
After determining the moles of reactant that will actually react, we then convert those moles back into grams to find the theoretical yield of O2. As this is a hypothetical example, without the actual balanced chemical equation, the actual numerical theoretical yield cannot be given. The concept of theoretical yield is used in stoichiometry to predict how much product can be made from a given amount of reactant under ideal conditions.