Many computer chips are manufactured from silicon, which occurs in nature as SiO₂. When SiO₂ is heated to melting, it reacts with solid carbon to form liquid silicon and carbon monoxide gas. In an industrial preparation of silicon, 177.4 kg of SiO₂ reacts with 100.1 kg of carbon to produce 71.2 kg of silicon. Determine the percent yield for the reaction.

Key Concepts

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions based on the balanced chemical equation. It allows chemists to determine the proportions of substances involved in a reaction, which is essential for predicting how much product can be formed from given amounts of reactants.

Percent Yield

Percent yield is a measure of the efficiency of a chemical reaction, calculated by comparing the actual yield of a product to the theoretical yield. It is expressed as a percentage and provides insight into how much of the expected product was actually obtained, helping to assess the effectiveness of the reaction conditions.

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 crucial for accurate stoichiometric calculations and for determining the theoretical yield of the reaction.