What Is the Theoretical Yield of the Nitration of Methyl Benzoate?
The theoretical yield of the nitration of methyl benzoate is dependent upon the quantity of the starting materials. Once the initial quantity of methyl benzoate is known, the molar ratio of reactants to products can be used to determine the theoretical yield.
To determine the theoretical yield of methyl m-nitrobenzoate that will be produced, the initial mass of methyl benzoate, measured in grams, must be divided by the molecular weight of methyl benzoate, 136.15 g/mol. This determines the starting number of moles of methyl benzoate. To determine the moles of product, the molar ratio must be used. In this experiment, the ratio is one to one so no additional calculations are required, and the moles of product is equal to the moles of reactant. The theoretical yield is then determined by converting the moles to grams by multiplying the value by the molecular weight of methyl m-nitrobenzoate, 181.14 g/mol.
