Determining the Percentage Yield of Sodium Chloride produced from Sodium Bicarbonate and Hydrochloric Acid

Material:

• Sodium bicarbonate
• Test tube rack
• Bunsen burner
• Electronic balance
• Test tubes x 3
• Sodium Chloride
• Test tube clamp

Method:

At the beginning, a table has been made in order to record all the data. After the test tubes were numbered from one to three, they were weighted to 0.001 grams. Later, sodium bicarbonate was added to each test tube and they were again separately weighted. After that, the mass of sodium bicarbonate was measured in each tube. To begin the reaction, a drop of hydrochloric acid was added to each test tube separately. Then, the fluid was evaporated from each test tube by heating it above a Bunsen burner flame until the solid was dry. Later, the test tube was removed from the flame and checked for remaining water vapor by inverting a clean, dry test tube over the mouth of the test tube containing the solid. Finally, after the tubes cooled down, they were all weighted and recorded in the table.   

Data Collection:

Calculations:

Molar mass for NaHCO3: 84.01 g/mol

Molar mass for NaCl: 58.44 g/mol

Trial 1:

0.2081 x (58.44/84.01) = 0.1448 g

Trial 2:

0.2102 x (58.44/84.01) = 0.1462 g

Trial 3:

0.1180 x (58.44/84.01) = 0.0821 g

Percentage Yield:

Trial 1:

Trial 2:

Trial 3:

Average percentage yield:

Conclusion:

In the experiment, the quantity of sodium chloride produced was determined from reacting known quantities of sodium bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid. Looking at the Data collection, there were three trials which determined the variability of the data. In the calculations, it is noticeable that during the first trial the theoretical yield was 0.1448 g, and the percent yield was 97%. Also, from the calculations it can be concluded that on average the percent yield was 94%, which proves the hypothesis, because there is a low percentage of error. The lowest percentage yield was in the third trial with 87%. This could have been because not all the liquid was evaporated from the tube and thus there was error is mass calculation or there might have been too little/ much of hydrochloric acid making the reaction faulty in its results.