Which of the following best describes percent recovery in a chemical experiment?

• A. The ratio of the theoretical yield to the actual yield, multiplied by 100%
• B. The ratio of the mass of reactants used to the mass of products formed, multiplied by 100%
• C. The ratio of the actual amount of product obtained to the theoretical amount, multiplied by 100%
• D. The percentage of reactants that are completely consumed in a reaction

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that percent recovery is a measure of how much product you actually obtained compared to how much you expected to obtain based on calculations.
2. Recall that the theoretical yield is the maximum amount of product predicted by stoichiometric calculations assuming perfect conditions and complete reaction.
3. Recognize that the actual yield is the amount of product you actually isolated or measured after performing the experiment.
4. Use the formula for percent recovery, which is the ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield, multiplied by 100% to express it as a percentage: \[\text{Percent Recovery} = \left( \frac{\text{Actual Yield}}{\text{Theoretical Yield}} \right) \times 100\%\]
5. Note that percent recovery does not compare reactants to products directly, nor does it measure the consumption of reactants, but specifically compares the actual product obtained to the theoretical maximum.