Purpose:
- To determine the correct balanced equation for the decomposition of baking soda using % yield.
PreLab Notes: Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) decomposes when heated yielding both gaseous products and solid products. The production of gas makes baking soda a leavening agent in baked goods. The trapped bubbles of gas give muffins and cakes a lighter, airier texture.
When heated, baking soda decomposes in one of the following unbalanced equations.
NaHCO3 (s) H2O (g) + CO2 (g) + Na2O (s)
NaHCO3 (s) CO2 (g) + NaOH (s)
NaHCO3 (s) H2O (g) + CO2 (g) + Na2CO3 (s) Develop a procedure to determine which reaction occurs. Be sure to include specific quantities, times, and equipment. Make sure you have a way to assess the precision on the experiment. The % yield of a reaction can be used to determine the efficiency of a chemical reaction by comparing the theoretical yield from a reaction with the actual yield.
% Yield = Actual yield x100 Theoretical Yield
Actual Yield = Mass of product produced through experimentation
Theoretical Yield = Mass of product predicted to be produced using stoichiometry
A theoretical yield close to 100% is very good. Above 100% means that your product is more massive than it should be. Maybe there is something else there? Below 100% might mean that you are not producing enough product. Some of it is being wasted or is escaping. Please note that it is rare for an experiment to provide a % yield of EXACTLY 100%. In this experiment, the reaction with the % yield closest to 100% should be the correct chemical equation. You may also use this % yield to assess the accuracy of this