Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

Lesson 9.4 

Calculating the Theoretical Yield Based on the 

Limiting Reactant 
 
Contents 
Introduction 1 

Learning Objectives 2 

Warm Up 2 

Learn about It! 4 

Determining the Reaction Yield Given a Limiting Reactant 4 
Determining the Limiting Reactant from a Single Product Reaction 5 
Determining the Limiting Reactant from a Multiple Product Reaction 12 

Key Points 19 

Check Your Understanding 20 

Challenge Yourself 22 

Bibliography 23 

Key to Try It! 24 

 
   

 
  
Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
Lesson 9.4 

Calculating the Theoretical Yield 

Based on the Limiting Reactant 
 

 
 

  Introduction 
You  have  finally  uncovered  how  chemists  predict  the  maximum  amount  of  products  a 
particular  reaction  can  produce.  Using  stoichiometry  as  your  primary  tool,  you  can 
determine  how  much  of  the  products  are  expected.  In  a  chemical  reaction,  however,  it  is 
important  to  determine  the  limiting  reactant  to  know  which  of  the  substances  will run out 
first.  Identifying  the  limiting  reactant  allows  you  to  calculate  how  much  product  is 
expected,  and  how  much  of  the  excess  reactant  will  be  consumed  and  left in the reaction. 
This  lesson  explores  the  different  concepts  and  the  approach  needed  in  determining 
theoretical yield based on the limiting reactant in a chemical reaction. 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 
 

Learning Objectives  DepEd Competency 

 
In this lesson, you should be able to do the  Calculate reaction yield when a 
limiting reagent is present 
following:   
(STEM_GC11MR-Ig-h-41). 
● Explain  the  concept  of  limiting  and   

excess reactants. 
● Determine  the  theoretical  yield  using 
the  concept  of  limiting  and  excess 
reactants. 
● Calculate  how  much  excess  reactant 
will be left in the reaction. 

  Warm Up       
  Assemble It!    15 minutes 
Chemical  reagents  are  comparable  to  the  ingredients  you  use  to  cook  in  your  homes. 
Similarly, they follow a specific recipe that is based on how much of the available ingredients 
are needed. The more ingredients you have, the more meals you can prepare. 
 
For  this  activity,  imagine  being  an  Oreo  analyst  based  in  a  local  factory  in  your  area. 
Unfortunately,  there  was  a  glitch  in  the  packaging  system,  so  you  have  to  do  it  manually, 
starting  from  the  sandwich  assembly  until  its  packaging.  Your  prior  knowledge  knew  that  a 
sandwich  of  Oreo  consists  of  two  (2)  chocolate  cookies  and  a  single  vanilla  filling  and 
packaged  in  three’s  (3);  thus,  it  was  not  that  of  a  big  task  for  you.  This  activity  will 
demonstrate  how  the  products  of  chemical  reactions  are  dependent  on  the  amount  of 
“ingredients” or reagents available to arrive at your desired quantity. 
  

Materials 
● calculator 
● worksheet material provided by the facilitator 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 
Procedure 
1. In  groups  of  three  (3),  read  the  instructions  carefully,  and  refer  to  the  worksheet 
provided. 
2. In  the  first  scenario,  you  have  to  assemble  the  sandwiches  by  exhausting  all  of  the 
cookies and fillings available: 400 chocolate cookies and 100 vanilla fillings. 
3. For  the  second  scenario,  the  second  batch  of  fillings  just  arrived  for  you  to  exhaust 
all the remaining cookies in your storage. 
4. Finally, for the third scenario, you have to put three (3) cookie sandwiches in a limited 
number of foil wrappers before delivering all of them to your local courier. 
5. Answer  everything  in  the  worksheet  and  submit  to  your  facilitator.  He or she will act 
as the factory manager to check if you have correctly completed the audit. 
 
Data Table 
Table 9.4.1. The first two scenarios determine the total number of sandwiches assembled 

No. of  No. of  No. of 

Unused no.  Unused no. 
Scenario  cookies  fillings  sandwiches 
of cookies  of fillings 
available  available  assembled 

1 
400  100       
 

2 
         
 

 
 
Table 9.4.2. The last scenario showing the total number of packaged Oreos 

Total no. of  No. of wrappers  Total number of 

Scenario 
sandwiches made  available  packed Oreos 

3    65   

 
 
 
 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 
Guide Questions 
1. Based  on  your  worksheet,  were  there  any  sandwiches  that  were  not  included  in  the 
packaging  due  to  the  lack  of  foil  wrappers?  If  so,  what  does  this  tell  you  assuming 
that this is a hypothetical chemical reaction? 
2. In  the  first  two  scenarios,  how  were  you  able  to  assemble  all  of  the  ingredients 
without having any of the ingredients being unused? 
3. How  will  you  relate  this  to  the  concept  of  limiting  reactants,  knowing  that  some  of 
the reagents are expensive just to arrive at a particular amount of product? 

  Learn about It! 

Determining the Reaction Yield Given a Limiting Reactant 
In  most  chemical  reactions,  there  will  always  be  a  reactant  that  will  be  consumed 
completely,  and  another  that  will  have  unreacted  amounts.  As  a  simple  analogy,  consider 
preparing  a  sandwich  for  your  family  picnic  as  shown  in  Fig.  9.4.1. You know that you need 
to  have  at  least  two  loaves of bread and one kind of filling to make one sandwich. Assuming 
you  have  ten  loaves  in  total but only have two fillings available in your pantry, then only two 
sandwiches  can  be  processed.  Even  if  you  have  hundreds  of  slices  available,  the  lacking 
number of fillings will limit your sandwiches in time for your picnic. 
 

 
Fig. 9.4.1. Making a piece of sandwich is a great analogy in learning the concept of limiting 
reactants. The ingredients represent the reactants of the reaction and the sandwich 
represents the product. 
 
 
 
 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 

Why is it important to determine the limiting 

  reactant in a given chemical reaction? 
 
The  concept  of  limiting  reactants  in  a  chemical  reaction  relies  on  this  analogy.  The  fillings 
represent  the  limiting  reactant,  and  the  loaves  represent  the  excess  reactants.  In  the 
chemical  world,  reactants  do  follow  a  specific  recipe  termed  as  chemical  equations  that 
determine  the  mole  ratios of the reactants. This information allows chemists to deduce how 
much  product  they  can  expect  based  on  the  given  amount  of  the  limiting  reactant. 
Moreover,  knowing  the  amount of the limiting reactant will enable you to also calculate how 
much will be left from the excess reactant. 
Determining the Limiting Reactant from a Single Product Reaction 
A  single  product  reaction  is  usually  a  combination  reaction  that  produces  only  one  type  of 
product  in  the  chemical  equation.  Determining  the limiting reactant for this type of reaction 
is  done  using stoichiometric analysis. Given the masses or moles of the reactants allows you 
to calculate the expected mole yield of the product using the equation below.  The lesser the 
amount  of  the  product  produced  by  the  reactant  indicates  that  it  is  the  limiting  reactant, 
compared to the other, which is the excess reactant. 

Equation 9.4.1 
 

or 

Equation 9.4.2 
 

 
where: 

 
 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

Conversion  using  mass-mole  or  mole-mole  stoichiometry  is  necessary  for  determining 
which of the two reactants is limiting or will be used up first. Most reactions deal with having 
a reactant that was not fully consumed in the reaction we term as excess reactants. To know 
how  much  excess  reactant  will  be  present,  you  have  to  determine  first,  which  among  two 
reactants  would  be  the  limiting reactant. Once identified, the limiting reactant will guide you 
in knowing how much excess reactant is used for that specific reaction. You will then be able 
to  get  the  amount  of  unused  or  unreacted  excess  reactant  by  subtracting  the  used  excess 
reactant from its initial amount before the reaction. 

 
 
Equation 9.4.3 

How do you get the excess reactant from the 

  limiting reactant? 
 

Remember 
The  initial  amounts  of  the  excess  reactant  (before  the  reaction) 
must be greater than what is required for the reaction to proceed. 

  Let’s Practice! 

Example 1  
Determine  the  limiting  reactant  in  a  reaction  that  produces  sodium  chloride given that 10 g 
of sodium metal is needed to react with 10 g of chlorine gas? 

 
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Solution 
Step 1: Identify what is asked in the problem. 
You are asked to determine the limiting reactant in the reaction. 
 
Step 2:  Identify the given in the problem 
The balanced chemical equation. 
The mass of Na (s) is 10 g. 
The mass of Cl2 (g) is 10 g. 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
Since you are asked to determine the limiting reactant, only the number of moles 
of the desired product is necessary (mass-mole conversion). 
 

 
 
Step 4: Substitute the values and solve the problem. 
Compute for the expected amount of products in moles for each of the given 
reactants using stoichiometric analysis. 

 
 

 
 

Since Cl2 (g) yields the lesser amount of product, it is the limiting reactant. 

1  Try It!  
According to the equation below, ammonia gas reacts with hydrochloric acid to form 
ammonium chloride: 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

 
 
Determine the limiting reactant if 100 g of NH3 and 100 g of HCl are present at the 
beginning of the reaction. 

Example 2  
Magnesium  oxide  is  a  type  of  mineral  supplement  used  to  treat  or  prevent  low  levels  of 
magnesium  in  the  blood.  It  can be synthesized from the reaction of magnesium and oxygen 
following this chemical reaction: 
 

 
 
Calculate the mass of magnesium oxide produced if 12.5 g Mg reacts with 48.0 g O2. 
 
Solution 
Step 1:  Identify what is asked in the problem. 
You are asked to solve for the mass of magnesium oxide produced by the reaction. 
 
Step 2: Identify the given in the problem. 
The balanced chemical equation 
The mass of Mg is 12.5 g. 
The mass of O2 is 48.0 g. 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
In identifying the limiting reactant, use mass-mole conversion or each of the 
reactants. 

 
Once determined, use the mass of the limiting reactant (LR) to solve for the mass of 
MgO via mass-mass conversion. 
 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 

Step 4: Determine which is the limiting reactant by substituting the given values. 

 
Since Mg yields the lesser mol amount of the product, Mg is the limiting 
reactant. 
 
Step 5: Determine the mass of MgO using the amount of the limiting reactant. 
 

 
 
The reaction is expected to produce 20.7 g MgO. 
 

2  Try It!  
Cobalt (III) oxide is an inorganic compound that is used extensively in the ceramic 
industry as a coloring agent. Its Industrial preparation includes burning cobalt (II) 
monoxide following this chemical reaction: 

 
Calculate how much cobalt (III) oxide will be produced by reacting 46.5 grams of CoO 
with 17.5 grams of O2. 

 
 
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Tip 
The  mole  amount  you  initially  calculated in determining the limiting 
reactant  can  suffice  the  mole-mole  conversion  step  in  determining 
the  yield  of  the  product,  thus  cutting  back  your  stoichiometric 
analysis. 

 
Example 3  
Lead  (II)  chloride  reacts  with  chlorine  to  produce  lead  (IV)  chloride.  According  to  the 
balanced reaction: 

 
 
(a)  Determine  how  much  lead  (IV)  chloride  will  be  produced  by  reacting  50.0  g  of  lead  (II) 
chloride and 15.0 g of chlorine gas? (b) How much of the excess remains after the reaction? 
 
Solution 
Step 1:  Identify the given. 
The balanced chemical equation. 
The mass of PbCl2 is 50.0 g. 
The mass of Cl2 is 15.0 g. 
 
Step 2: Identify what is asked in the problem. 
You are asked to solve for the mass of PbCl4 produced by the reaction. 
You are asked to determine how much of the excess reactant remains after the 
reaction. 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
In identifying the limiting reactant, use mass-mole conversion or each of the 
reactants. 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 
Once determined, use the mass of the limiting reactant to solve for PbCl4 . 

 
For the remaining excess reactant, you can use the equation below. 

Step 4: Determine the limiting reactant by substituting the given values. 

 
Since PbCl2 yields the lesser mol amount of the product, PbCl2 is the limiting reactant. 
 
Step 5: Determine the yield of the reaction using the mass of the limiting reactant. 
 

 
 
Step 6: Determine the amount of the used excess reactant in the reaction. 
Use the initial amount of the limiting reactant to determine the consumed excess 
reactant by using mass-mass conversion similar to Step 3. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
Step 7: Determine the amount of the unreacted excess reagent in the reaction. 
Substitute the mass of the used Cl2 below. Subtract it from the given value to give 
you the remaining amount of the excess. 
 
 

 
 
The reaction will yield 62.7 g PbCl4 and an excess amount of 2.3 g Cl2 will remain. 
 

3  Try It!  
A reaction vessel holds 10.5 g of P4 and 3.50 g of O2 to start the combustion of 
tetraphosphorus forming P4O10 based on the following reaction: 

 
Determine (a) the mass of P4O10 produced in the reaction vessel and (b) the percent 
amount of the excess reactant being used in the reaction. 

 
Determining the Limiting Reactant from a Multiple Product Reaction 
Chemical  reactions  do  not  always  produce  a  single  type  of  product.  Multiple  products 
happen,  particularly  in  single  or  double  displacement  reactions  and  combustion  reactions. 
In  a  single  product  reaction,  however,  you  base  your  limiting  reactant  by  doing  a 
stoichiometric  conversion  to  one  type  of  product  only.  What  happens  if  there  are  multiple 
products  in the reaction, and you do not know which among the products will you base your 
limiting  reactant?  The  answer  is  to  analyze  how  your  reactants  will  be  consumed  by  one 
another using stoichiometry upon reaction completion. 
 
 
 
For  instance,  in  a  single-replacement  reaction  shown  above,  reactant  A  can  be  related  to 
reactant  BC  by  comparing  how  much  mole  amounts  are  consumed  by  one  another  with 
respect  to  their  original  mole  amounts  before  the  reaction.  This  can  be  further 
demonstrated in the following example problems. 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
 

  Let’s Practice! 
Example 4  
Methane,  a  colorless  and  odorless  gas,  is  used  as  a  fuel  source  to  generate  energy.  In  a 
combustion  setup  of  methane,  15.5  g  of  CH4  was  made  to  react  with 5.25 g of O2, as shown 
in the equation below. 
 

 
 
Determine which of the two reactants is the limiting reactant? 
 
Solution 
Step 1: Identify what is asked in the problem. 
You are asked to determine the limiting reactant in the reaction. 
 
Step 2:  Identify the given in the problem 
The balanced chemical equation 
The mass of methane gas is 15.5 g. 
The mass of oxygen gas is 5.25 g 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
Since you are asked to determine the limiting reactant, use mass-mole conversion 
for each reactant. 
 

 
 
Step 4: Substitute the values and solve the problem. 
Solve for the mole values of the given reactants. 
 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

 
 
Now compute for the expected amount of each of the mol reactants that will be 
consumed in the reaction. 

 
 

 
 
Step 5: Compare the values of the initial number of moles and the expected number 
of moles to be consumed. 
Notice that a 5.25 g O2 only needs 0.082 mol CH4 out of the total given amount of 
0.48 mol CH4 This shows that there will be an excess of CH4 left when we exhaust 
all the O2. 
 
Conversely, a 15.5 g CH4 needs a 0.97 mol of O2, which exceeds the given limit of 
only, 0.16 mol O2. This only shows that you will run out of O2 even before 
exhausting all of your CH4. 
 
This only shows that O2 (g) is the limiting reactant. 
 

4  Try It!  
Ammonia  reacts  with  oxygen  to  produce  nitrogen  monoxide  and  liquid  water 
according to the reaction below. 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

 
 
Determine the limiting reagent if 100 g of NH3 and 100 g of O2 are reacted together. 

 
Example 5  
Sodium peroxide reacts with water to form sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, 
which are both used as industrial cleaners. 
 

 
 
Calculate  the  mass  of  hydrogen  peroxide  produced  if  78.0  g Na2O2 were made to react with 
29.5 g H2O. 
 
Solution 
Step 1:  Identify what is asked in the problem. 
To solve for the mass of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction. 
 
Step 2: Identify the given. 
The balanced chemical equation 
The mass of Na2O2 is 78.0 g. 
The mass of H2O is 29.5 g. 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
Since you are asked to determine the limiting reactant, use mass-mole conversion 
for each reactant. 

 
Once determined, use the mass of the limiting reactant to solve for the mass of 
MgO via mass-mass conversion. 
 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

Step 4: Determine which is the limiting reactant by substituting the given values. 
Solve for the mole values of the given reactants. 
 

 
Assume that all H2O is consumed 

 
 
Since there is only 1.00 mol of Na2O2 needed to consume all the H2O, Na2O2 is the 
limiting reactant. 
 
Step 5: Determine the mass of hydrogen peroxide produced by the reaction. 
 

 
 
The reaction is expected to produce an amount of 18.0 g H2O2 (l). 
 

5  Try It!  
Sulfur  dioxide  and  hydrogen  sulfide  are gases that can react with each other forming 
sulfur and water as products. The reaction can be expressed as: 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

Determine  how  much  sulfur  will  be  produced  by  reacting  25.7  g  SO2  and  17.5  g  H2S, 
assuming the reaction would proceed spontaneously. 

 
Example 6  
A  38.5  g  of  aluminum  sulfide  was  made  to  react  with  49.3  g  of  water in a sealed vessel that 
shows  the  percentage  of  how  much  reactants  were  lost.  Determine  the  percentage  of  the 
excess reactant that remains in the vessel. Refer to the chemical equation below. 

 
Solution 
Step 1:  Identify what is asked in the problem. 
You are asked to solve for the percentage of the excess reactant that remains in 
the vessel 
 
Step 2: Identify the given. 
The balanced chemical equation 
The mass of Al2S3 is 38.5 g. 
The mass of H2O is 49.3 g. 
 
Step 3: Write the working equation. 
Use mass-mole conversion for each reactant in determining the limiting reactant.  

 
 
Use mass conversion to solve for the amount of excess reactant used in the 
reaction. 

 
For the % remaining (unreacted) excess reactant, use the equation below. 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
Step 4: Determine which is the limiting reactant by substituting the given values. 
Solve for the mole values of the given reactants. 
 

 
Assume that all H2O is consumed 

 
 
Since there is only 0.26 mol of Al2S3 needed to consume all the H2O, Al2S3 is the 
limiting reactant, and H2O is the excess reactant. 
 
Step 5: Determine the mass of H2O using the determined limiting reactant. 
 

 
 
Step 6: Determine the percentage of the excess reactant that remains. 

 
 
The reaction vessel is expected to have 43% H2O as the excess. 
 

6  Try It!  
Consider  the  reaction  of  calcium  carbonate  and  hydrochloric  acid  made  to react in a 
vessel solution.  

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

 
 
Determine  how  much  of  the  excess  reactant  remains  in  the  solution  when  6.09  g 
CaCO3 reacted with 2.85 g HCl. 

 
 
 

Tips 
It  would  seem  that  there  are  two  approaches  when  dealing  with 
limiting  reactants. The approach used for single product reactions is 
just  an  extension  of  the  calculation  involved  in  multiple  product 
reactions.  You  can  use  any  of  the  methods  whichever  suits  you 
since either approach will arrive in the same answer. 

 
 
 

Key Points 
___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

● Limiting  reactant  is  a  substance  that  is  completely  consumed  when  a  chemical 
reaction is completed.  
● A  substance  that  you  have  in  excess  amounts is the excess reactant. It is defined 
as the substance that remains when the limiting reactant is completely consumed. 
● Theoretical  yield  is  the  maximum  amount  of  a  specified  product  that  could  be 
obtained assuming completeness of the reaction. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________ 
 
 
 
 

 
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Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  

  Check Your Understanding 

 
 
 

A. Identify each of the items described. 

 
 

_________________ 1.   This  conversion  factor  helps  you  relate  the  amount  of  products 
produced  from  the  given  set  of  reactants.  Also,  it  is  used  in  the 
determination of the limiting reactant. 

_________________ 2.  It  is  a  substance  that  limits  the  amount  of  product  that  can  be 
formed in a reaction. 

_________________ 3.   It  is  the  expected  amount  of  product  that  could  be  produced 
upon reaction completion. 

_________________ 4.   It  is  calculated  as  the  amount  that  remains  from  the  excess 
reactant upon reaction completion. 

_________________ 5.   It  is  the  reactant  that  remains  when  a  reaction  stops  when  the 
limiting reactant is completely consumed. 
 

B. Determine if the statement is true or otherwise false. 

 

__________________ 1.  The limiting reactant is always consumed first in the reaction. 

__________________ 2.  The amount of product generated depends on the mass of the 
limiting reactant. 

__________________ 3.  Excess reactants are not consumed directly in the reaction 
because they are the ones that left after the reaction. 

__________________ 4.  A limiting reactant will always be limiting regardless of 

whatever amount being introduced in the reaction. 

__________________ 5.  It is safe to assume that the limiting reagent is always the one 
that has the lesser mass given, as stated in the problem. 

 
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C. Solve the following problem. Show your complete solution: 

 
 

1. Iron  (III)  oxide  reacts  with  carbon  monoxide  to  produce  iron  and  carbon  dioxide 
according to the reaction below. 

a. Assuming  completeness  of  the  reaction,  how  many  grams of solid iron will be 

expected  given  that  50  g  of  iron  (III)  oxide  and  67g  of  carbon  monoxide  are 
made to react inside a reaction chamber?  
b. What  is  the  excess  reagent,  and  how  many  grams  of  it  will  be  left  after  the 
reaction? 
2. Aluminum reacts with chlorine gas to produce aluminum chloride: 
 

 
 
a. Assuming  that  there  are  no  side  reactions,  determine  the  limiting  reagent  if 
29.3  g  of  aluminum  and  110  g  of  chlorine  gas  are  present  at  the  start  of  the 
reaction.  
b. Determine  how  many  grams  of  the  excess  reactant  was  needed  to react with 
the limiting reactant. 
3. Ammonia  is  industrially  prepared  via  Haber  process  in which nitrogen and hydrogen 
gases are reacted together over high pressures. 

 
 
Based  on  the  given  equation,  how  many  grams  of  NH3  can  be  produced  from 
reacting 77.3 g N2 and 14.2 g H2 via the Haber process? 
4. Chloroform,  CHCl3  is  a  toxic  substance that targets the central nervous system and is 
fatal  at  high  doses.  Chloroform  can  be  treated  via  chlorination  to  lower  its 
concentration levels in a solution as shown in the equation below. 
 

 
 
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In an analysis, 25.0 grams of both chloroform and chlorine gases were mixed.  Which 
is  the  maximum  yield  of  CCl4  in  grams?  Assume  that  no  other  side  reactions 
occurred. 
5. Methane,  CH4,  burns  in  oxygen  to  release  carbon  dioxide  and  water  as shown in the 
following equation. 
 

 
 
Determine  the  theoretical  yield  of  H2O  if  0.250  mol  CH4  was  allowed  to be burned in 
0.75 mol O2 in a sealed vessel. 
 

  Challenge Yourself 
 

Answer the following questions.    

1. Disulfur dichloride, S2Cl2, is used for vulcanizing rubber materials. Production is made 
by treating molten sulfur with gaseous chlorine according to the reaction below: 

Starting  with  a  mixture  of  32.0  g  of  sulfur  and  71.0  g  of  chlorine  gas,  determine  the 
following:  

a. the theoretical yield of S2Cl2; and 

b. the mass of the excess reactant that remains upon reaction completion. 

2. It  is  reported  that  tin  (IV)  chloride  has  a  76.1%  yield  upon  the  reaction  of  tin  with 
chlorine gas as per the reaction below. 

Your  lab  head  wants  you  to  get  at  least  100  g of SnCl4 from the reaction. Apparently, 
your  lab  has  a  limited  supply  of  the  reagents  and  only  offered you 60 g of Sn and 75 

 
9.4. Calculating the Theoretical Yield Based on the Limiting Reactant  22 
 
  
Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
g  of  Cl2  gas  to  proceed.  Will  you  be  able  to  produce  the  required  amount  of  SnCl4? 
Explain. 

3. Aluminum  (III)  oxide  is  industrially  synthesized  via  the  combustion of aluminum with 

oxygen, as shown below. 

 
 
A  reaction  chamber  monitors  the  weight  of  both  reactants  and  products  upon 
reaction  completion.  Unfortunately,  one  of  the  chambers  added  the  amount  of  the 
excess  reactant  that  was  left  from  the  reaction  into  the  total  yield  of  aluminum  (III) 
oxide,  thereby  miscalculating  the percent yield. The monitor shows a percent yield of 
98%  from  the  reaction  of  25.8  g  Al  and  16.5  g  O2.  Determine  the  actual  yield  of  the 
reaction. 
 
4. Copper  metal  can  displace  silver  in  a  silver  nitrate  solution  according to the reaction 
below. 

 
A  certain  copper test kit uses silver nitrate as a colorimetric method to determine the 
extent  of  silver  atoms  being  displaced  in  the  reaction.  The  kit  changes  its color from 
yellow  to  bright  red  upon  detecting  at  least  0.01  mol  of  solid  Ag  displaced  in  a 
solution. Determine the minimum amount of solid copper the test kit could detect. 
 
5. Explain  how  the  unreacted  amount  of  the  excess reagent affects the percent yield of 
the reaction? 

 Bibliography 
Chang,  Raymond,  and  Ken  Goldsby.  General  Chemistry.  New  York,  NY:  McGraw-Hill.  2014. 
Print. 
 
Hill,  James  C.,  Theodore  L.  Brown,  H.  Eugene  LeMay,  Bruce  Edward.  Bursten,  Catherine  J. 
Murphy,  Patrick  M.  Woodward,  and  Matthew  Stoltzfus. Chemistry: The Central Science, 
13th Edition. NJ: Pearson, 2015. Print. 
 

 
9.4. Calculating the Theoretical Yield Based on the Limiting Reactant  23 
 
  
Unit 9: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions  
Petrucci,  Ralph  H.  General  Chemistry:  Principles  and  Modern  Applications.  Toronto,  Ont.: 
Pearson Canada, 2011. Print. 
 
Silberberg, Martin S. Principles of General Chemistry. New York: McGraw Hill, 2013. Print. 
 
Whitten,  Kenneth  W.,  Davis,  Raymond  E.,  Peck,  M.  Larry,  Chemistry  9th  Edition.  Brooks/Cole, 
10 Davis Drive Belmont, CA, 2010. Print. 
 

  Key to Try It! 

1. HCl is the limiting reactant 
2. 48.6 g Co2O3 
3. 6.21 g P4O10 and 25.8% of the excess is used. 
4. Oxygen is the limiting reactant 
5. 38.6 g S 
6. 2.18 g CaCO3

 
9.4. Calculating the Theoretical Yield Based on the Limiting Reactant  24