How to Calculate Reaction Yield

The reaction yield is a measure of the efficiency of a chemical reaction. It is expressed as a percentage and is calculated by comparing the actual yield to the theoretical yield.

Percentage Yield = (Actual Yield / Theoretical Yield) * 100%

Where:

• Actual Yield is the amount of product actually obtained from the reaction.
• Theoretical Yield is the maximum amount of product that could be formed from the given amounts of reactants, calculated from the stoichiometry of the reaction.

Example Calculation

Suppose you expect a reaction to produce 10 grams of a substance (theoretical yield), but when you perform the experiment, you only get 8.5 grams (actual yield). The percentage yield would be:

Percentage Yield = (8.5 g / 10 g) * 100% = 85%

This means the reaction was 85% efficient.