Determining The Reaction Between Vinegar And Acetic Acid

For known amounts of reactants, theoretical amounts of product can be calculated in a chemical process. These calculated products are determined using the limiting reagent, (the substance that runs out first which stops the reaction) and are called the theoretical yield. The theoretical yield is the amount of product that should be acquired during the experiment if all aspects go perfectly. However, due to experimental errors, very few labs do so. These results are called actual yield. The percent ratio between the theoretical and actual yield is called the percentage yield. It is calculated by taking the actual yield and dividing it by the theoretical yield, then multiplying it by 100%. The goal of a lab is to get as close to a 100% percentage yield as possible because that means no errors occurred during the
There are many tactics that can help maximize the percentage yield including, limiting the number of transfers, removing the products as fast as they form, adding a catalyst, etc. The techniques involved in this lab will be using various amounts of substance and periods of time in between weighing the product. These techniques will be tested with the reaction between vinegar (a mixture of acetic acid and water) and a solution of baking soda (a basic compound also known as sodium bicarbonate). Vinegar is a dilute solution of water and usually about 5% acetic acid, a colourless, strong-smelling carboxylic acid composed of a methyl group attached to a carboxyl group. Baking soda is a fine white powdered salt composed of sodium ions and bicarbonate ions. These two solutions mixed together produce two separate reactions. The first is an acid-base reaction producing carbonic acid (H2CO3) and sodium acetate(CH₃COONa). The second is a decomposition reaction of carbonic acid to produce water (H₂O), carbon dioxide gas (CO₂). Sodium acetate is the sodium salt of acetic acid. The balanced equation for this reaction