Sulfur and oxygen react in a combination reaction to produce sulfur trioxide, an environmental pollutant: 2S (s) + 3O₂ (g) → 2SO₃ (g)
In a particular experiment, the reaction of 1.0 g S with 1.0 g O₂ produced 0.80 g of SO₃. The % yield in this experiment is __________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Theoretical yield of SO₃ is calculated based on the limiting reactant, which is O₂. The molar mass of O₂ is 32 g/mol, so 1.0 g O₂ is 0.03125 mol. According to the balanced equation, 3 mol of O₂ produce 2 mol of SO₃, so 0.03125 mol O₂ produces 0.02083 mol SO₃. The molar mass of SO₃ is 80 g/mol, so the theoretical yield is 0.02083 mol × 80 g/mol = 1.6664 g. The percent yield is (0.80 g / 1.6664 g) × 100% = 48%.

Sulfur and Oxygen React in a Combination Reaction to Produce