Acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, is prepared from salicylic acid by reaction with acetic anhydride.C7H6O3 (salicylic acid) + C4H6O3 (acetic anhydride) → C9H8O4 (acetylsalicylic acid) + C2H4O2 (acetic acid)Calculate the theoretical yield if 47 g of salicylic acid is reacted with 25 g of acetic anhydride.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Determine the molar masses of the reactants and products. Calculate the molar mass of salicylic acid (C7H6O3), acetic anhydride (C4H6O3), and acetylsalicylic acid (C9H8O4).
2. Step 2: Convert the given masses of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride to moles using their respective molar masses.
3. Step 3: Identify the limiting reactant by comparing the mole ratio of the reactants to the stoichiometry of the balanced chemical equation.
4. Step 4: Use the moles of the limiting reactant to calculate the moles of acetylsalicylic acid that can be formed, based on the stoichiometry of the reaction.
5. Step 5: Convert the moles of acetylsalicylic acid to grams using its molar mass to find the theoretical yield.

Key Concepts

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between the reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows chemists to predict how much product can be formed from given amounts of reactants, based on the balanced chemical equation. Understanding stoichiometry is essential for calculating theoretical yields, as it involves mole ratios derived from the coefficients in the balanced equation.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). It is calculated by summing the atomic masses of all atoms in a molecule. In the context of the given reaction, knowing the molar masses of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride is crucial for converting grams of these substances into moles, which is necessary for stoichiometric calculations.

Limiting Reactant

The limiting reactant is the substance that is completely consumed first in a chemical reaction, thus determining the maximum amount of product that can be formed. Identifying the limiting reactant is vital for calculating the theoretical yield, as it dictates how much of the product can be produced based on the initial quantities of reactants. In this problem, one of the reactants will limit the formation of acetylsalicylic acid.