Actual Yield Examples in Chemistry

Start with the recap, study the fully worked examples, then use the practice problems to check your understanding of Actual Yield.

This page combines explanation, solved examples, and follow-up practice so you can move from recognition to confident problem-solving in Chemistry.

Concept Recap

The amount of product actually obtained from a reaction in the lab or in an industrial process.

What you really got after doing the reaction.

Read the full concept explanation →

How to Use These Examples

Read the first worked example with the solution open so the structure is clear.
Try the practice problems before revealing each solution.
Use the related concepts and background knowledge badges if you feel stuck.

What to Focus On

Core idea: Actual Yield starts with the given amount, names the substance, and chooses the conversion factor that cancels the old unit.

Common stuck point: Students often know a formula related to actual yield but skip the recognition step: Am I using a mole bridge, molar mass, formula ratio, or balanced-equation ratio to connect measured amounts? That leads to a correct-looking substitution attached to the wrong chemical model.

Sense of Study hint: Ask: Am I using a mole bridge, molar mass, formula ratio, or balanced-equation ratio to connect measured amounts?

Worked Examples

Example 1

medium

A chemist predicts

50\text{ g}

of aspirin from a synthesis but isolates

40\text{ g}

after purification. Walk through finding (a) actual yield and (b) percent yield.

Answer

\text{actual} = 40\text{ g},\ \text{percent yield} = 80\%

First step

Actual yield is the measured isolated product:

40\text{ g}

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Example 2

medium

For

2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O

0.60\text{ mol}

H_2

(excess

O_2

) gives an actual

9.0\text{ g}

of water (

M=18

). Find theoretical mass and percent yield.

Example 3

medium

CaCO_3 \rightarrow CaO + CO_2

. A student heats

20.0\text{ g}

CaCO_3

(

M=100

) and weighs

9.52\text{ g}

CaO

(

M=56

). Find percent yield.

Example 4

hard

4Fe + 3O_2 \rightarrow 2Fe_2O_3

. Burning

11.2\text{ g}

Fe (

M=56

) in excess oxygen gives

14.4\text{ g}

Fe_2O_3

(

M=160

). Find percent yield.

Example 5

hard

2KClO_3 \rightarrow 2KCl + 3O_2

. Heating

24.5\text{ g}

KClO_3

(

M=122.5

) gives

8.64\text{ g}

O_2

(

M=32

). Find percent yield.

Example 6

hard

AgNO_3 + NaCl \rightarrow AgCl + NaNO_3

. Mixing

0.100\text{ mol}

AgNO_3

with excess

NaCl

yields

12.9\text{ g}

AgCl

(

M=143.5

). Compute percent yield.

Example 7

hard

Esterification predicts

0.40\text{ mol}

ester. The student isolates

35.2\text{ g}

of ester (

M=88\text{ g/mol}

). What is the percent yield?

Practice Problems

Try these problems on your own first, then open the solution to compare your method.

Example 1

medium

A reaction has theoretical yield

60\text{ g}

and actual yield

48\text{ g}

. What is the percent yield?

Example 2

easy

A reaction's theoretical yield is

50\text{ g}

, but a chemist measures

42\text{ g}

of product. What is the actual yield?

Example 3

easy

Is actual yield obtained by calculation or by measurement?

Example 4

easy

A lab recovers

18\text{ g}

of product from a reaction. If percent yield is

90\%

, is

18\text{ g}

the actual or theoretical yield?

Example 5

easy

Can the actual yield ever exceed the theoretical yield in a pure reaction?

Example 6

easy

Theoretical yield is

80\text{ g}

and actual yield is

60\text{ g}

. How much product was lost?

Example 7

easy

A reaction gives an actual yield of

0\text{ g}

of the desired product. What does this indicate?

Example 8

easy

Which yield is used as the numerator in percent yield, actual or theoretical?

Example 9

easy

A student writes that the actual yield is

55\text{ g}

because that is what the balance read. Is this correct reasoning?

Example 10

medium

A reaction has theoretical yield

40\text{ g}

. The actual yield is

34\text{ g}

. What is the percent yield?

Example 11

medium

A reaction is expected to yield

25\text{ g}

product. If percent yield is

80\%

, what is the actual yield?

Example 12

medium

2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O

. From

4\text{ mol}

H_2

(excess

O_2

), the theoretical yield of water is computed, but only

3\text{ mol}

water forms. What is the actual yield in moles?

Example 13

medium

A process gives

90\text{ g}

actual yield at

75\%

percent yield. What was the theoretical yield?

Example 14

medium

Theoretical yield is

0.50\text{ mol}

product (

M=60\text{ g/mol}

). The actual yield measured is

24\text{ g}

. What is the percent yield?

Example 15

medium

A reaction theoretically yields

10\text{ g}

but loses

30\%

to side reactions. What actual yield is expected?

Example 16

medium

Two trials give actual yields of

18\text{ g}

and

22\text{ g}

for a reaction with theoretical yield

40\text{ g}

. What is the average percent yield?

Example 17

medium

A reaction's actual yield is

45\text{ g}

and percent yield is

90\%

. By how many grams does the actual yield fall short of theoretical?

Example 18

challenge

CaCO_3 \rightarrow CaO + CO_2

. Heating

100\text{ g}

CaCO_3

(

M=100

) gives

50\text{ g}

CaO

(

M=56

) actual. Find percent yield.

Example 19

challenge

N_2 + 3H_2 \rightarrow 2NH_3

1\text{ mol}

N_2

with excess

H_2

gives an actual yield of

25.5\text{ g}

NH_3

(

M=17

). Find percent yield.

Example 20

challenge

A two-step synthesis has

80\%

yield in step 1 and

75\%

in step 2. Starting from a theoretical

40\text{ g}

, what is the overall actual yield?

Example 21

easy

A reaction has theoretical yield

35\text{ g}

and actual yield

28\text{ g}

. What is the percent yield?

Example 22

easy

A student computes a theoretical yield of

44\text{ g}

and measures

33\text{ g}

on the balance. What is the actual yield?

Example 23

easy

Theoretical yield is

20\text{ g}

and actual yield is

15\text{ g}

. What percent yield is this?

Example 24

easy

A reaction yields

7.2\text{ g}

of product with a

90\%

yield. Is

7.2\text{ g}

the actual or theoretical yield?

Example 25

easy

Theoretical yield is

120\text{ g}

and actual yield is

84\text{ g}

. What is the percent yield?

Example 26

medium

A reaction is predicted to give

0.40\text{ mol}

CO_2

(

M=44\text{ g/mol}

). The actual mass collected is

14.08\text{ g}

. Find the percent yield.

Example 27

medium

A reaction has a theoretical yield of

32\text{ g}

but loses

25\%

of the product during workup. What is the actual yield?

Example 28

medium

A student gets an actual yield of

36\text{ g}

at a percent yield of

60\%

. What was the theoretical yield?

Example 29

medium

Trial 1 gives actual yield

24\text{ g}

, trial 2 gives

26\text{ g}

, trial 3 gives

22\text{ g}

. If theoretical is

30\text{ g}

, what is the average percent yield across the three trials?

Example 30

medium

1.5\text{ mol}

of product (

M=40\text{ g/mol}

) is predicted and percent yield is

70\%

, what mass is actually recovered?

Example 31

medium

A reaction has theoretical yield

0.25\text{ mol}

and actual yield

0.20\text{ mol}

(same product). What is the percent yield?

Example 32

medium

A reaction recovers

0.45\text{ g}

of product. If percent yield is

90\%

, what is the theoretical yield in grams?

Example 33

hard

A multistep synthesis has yields

90\%

80\%

, and

50\%

across three steps. If the step-1 theoretical mass is

200\text{ g}

, what is the final actual yield?

Example 34

hard

N_2 + 3H_2 \rightarrow 2NH_3

. From

2.0\text{ mol}

N_2

with excess

H_2

51\text{ g}

NH_3

(

M=17

) is collected. Find percent yield.

Example 35

hard

A reaction's theoretical yield is

12.0\text{ g}

. After purification,

9.6\text{ g}

98\%

-pure product is recovered. What is the percent yield of pure compound?

Example 36

hard

An industrial process predicts

500\text{ kg}

of product per batch. Two consecutive batches actually produce

410\text{ kg}

and

440\text{ kg}

. What is the average percent yield?

Example 37

hard

A reaction with limiting reagent gives a theoretical yield of

0.080\text{ mol}

product. The student weighs

4.0\text{ g}

of product (

M=64\text{ g/mol}

). Find percent yield.

Example 38

challenge

C_2H_4 + H_2 \rightarrow C_2H_6

. From

14.0\text{ g}

C_2H_4

(

M=28

) and excess

H_2

, the actual yield of ethane (

M=30

) is

13.5\text{ g}

. Determine the percent yield to three significant figures.

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Related Concepts

Theoretical Yield Percent Yield

Background Knowledge

These ideas may be useful before you work through the harder examples.

theoretical yield