Final answer:
The percent yield of a chemical reaction can be used to determine the actual yield by comparing the actual amount of product obtained to the maximum amount of product that could be formed, known as the theoretical yield. The percent yield is calculated as the ratio of actual yield to theoretical yield, expressed as a percentage.
Step-by-step explanation:
To compute the percent yield, it is first necessary to determine how much of the product should be formed based on stoichiometry. This is called the theoretical yield, the maximum amount of product that could be formed from the given amounts of reactants. The actual yield is the amount of product that is actually formed when the reaction is carried out in the laboratory. The percent yield is the ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield, expressed as a percentage.