Question

Which statement correctly describes the relationship between reactant and yield?

The actual yield is calculated from the amount of the excess reactant present.
The actual yield is calculated from the amount of the limiting reactant present.
The theoretical yield is calculated from the amount of the excess reactant present.
The theoretical yield is calculated from the amount of the limiting reactant present,
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Answer 1

The theoretical yield is calculated from the amount of the limiting reactant present.

Step-by-step explanation:

Some terms to know:

• limiting reactant - the reactant that gets completely used up in a reaction; when this reactant runs out, the reaction stops (determined by stoichiometric calculations)
• excess reactant - the reactant that doesn't get completely used up in a reaction; when the reaction stops, there is still some of this reactant that remains unchanged (determined by stoichiometric calculations)
• theoretical yield - the maximum amount of product produced from the complete reaction
• actual yield - the actual amount of product produced; this exists because in real life, no reaction is perfect, there is virtually no way to execute a perfect reaction

Since the actual yield is based on realistic factors that we cannot control, it cannot be calculated, which gets rid of the first 2 options.

The limiting reactant is the one that affects the reaction, and therefore, it will be the one that determines how much product is produced. Thus, the theoretical yield is calculated from the amount of the limiting reactant present.

Hope this helps!