Theoretical yield and actual yield are important terms in engineering, especially in making chemicals.

Theoretical Yield is the most product you can get from the starting materials. It’s calculated based on balanced chemical equations. For example, if a reaction says you should get a theoretical yield of 10 grams of a product, that means engineers expect to create that amount if everything goes perfectly.

Actual Yield is the amount of product you really get from the reaction. Often, this number is less than the theoretical yield. That can happen for several reasons, like incomplete reactions, side reactions, or losing some product during recovery. So, if from the earlier example, you only get 7 grams, you can find the percent yield with this formula:

$$\text{Percent Yield} = \left( \frac{\text{Actual Yield}}{\text{Theoretical Yield}} \right) \times 100 = \left( \frac{7 \, \text{g}}{10 \, \text{g}} \right) \times 100 = 70\%$$

In engineering, the difference between theoretical yield and actual yield affects a lot of things:

• Cost Efficiency: If the actual yield is lower, it costs more to make each unit of product.
• Process Optimization: Knowing why yields differ helps improve processes, optimize reactions, and reduce waste.
• Quality Control: Yields are often connected to how pure the final product is, which matters for meeting industry standards.

So, keeping track of theoretical and actual yields is important for making the chemical industry work well and being friendly to the environment.