How do you compare actual yield to theoretical yield?

Actual yield is compared to theoretical yield by calculating the percentage yield, which is (actual yield/theoretical yield) x 100%.

Theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product that can be produced from a chemical reaction under perfect conditions. It is calculated using the balanced chemical equation and the amount of reactants. On the other hand, actual yield is the amount of product that is actually produced in a real-life experiment or industrial process.

To compare the two, you calculate the percentage yield. This is done by dividing the actual yield by the theoretical yield, then multiplying the result by 100 to get a percentage. The percentage yield gives you an idea of the efficiency of a reaction. A high percentage yield (close to 100%) means that the reaction was very efficient, with little waste or side reactions. A low percentage yield (far from 100%) means that the reaction was not very efficient, with a lot of waste or side reactions.

For example, if the theoretical yield of a reaction is 10 grams and the actual yield is 8 grams, the percentage yield would be (8/10) x 100% = 80%. This means that 80% of the maximum possible amount of product was produced, and 20% was lost to waste or side reactions.

It's important to note that in real-life situations, it's very rare to get a 100% yield due to factors such as incomplete reactions, practical losses during the experiment, or other unexpected chemical reactions. Therefore, chemists always aim to maximise the percentage yield while minimising the waste.