Titanium(IV) oxide \(\left(\mathrm{TiO}_{2}\right)\) is a white substance produced by the action of sulfuric acid on the mineral ilmenite \(\left(\mathrm{FeTiO}_{3}\right)\) $$\mathrm{FeTiO}_{3}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4} \longrightarrow\mathrm{TiO}_{2}+\mathrm{FeSO}_{4}+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}$$Its opaque and nontoxic properties make it suitable as a pigment in plastics and paints. In one process, \(8.00 \times 10^{3} \mathrm{~kg}\) of \(\mathrm{FeTiO}_{3}\) yielded \(3.67 \times 10^{3} \mathrm{~kg}\) of \(\mathrm{TiO}_{2} .\) What is the percent yield of the reaction?

Stoichiometry is a section of chemistry that pertains to the calculation of reactants and products in chemical reactions. It provides a quantitative relationship between the amounts of substances involved in a reaction based on the balanced chemical equation. This makes stoichiometry a fundamental concept in ensuring that reactions are accurately described and prepared for in both laboratory and industrial settings.

For instance, the stoichiometric calculations determine how much of each reactant is needed to create a certain amount of product, or how much product can be produced from a given quantity of reactant. This plays a crucial role in determining the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing processes.

A chemical reaction involves the transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. Represented by a chemical equation, it shows the reactants converting to products. In the equation provided, \(\mathrm{FeTiO}_{3} + \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4} \longrightarrow \mathrm{TiO}_{2} + \mathrm{FeSO}_{4} + \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\), ilmenite reacts with sulfuric acid to produce titanium(IV) oxide, iron(II) sulfate, and water.

Understanding a chemical reaction includes knowing the physical states of the substances, the conditions under which the reaction occurs, and the stoichiometry involved, which helps in calculating theoretical and actual yields—a key aspect of learning chemistry, especially when scaling reactions from the lab bench to industrial production.

The theoretical yield of a reaction is the maximum amount of product that can be obtained if the reaction were to go to completion with no losses due to side reactions, impurities, or incomplete reactions. It is based on stoichiometry and the limiting reactant—the reactant that will be entirely consumed first, thus limiting the amount of product formed.

The calculation of the theoretical yield involves using the balanced chemical equation to determine the mole ratio between the reactants and the products. For example, if a reaction has a 1:1 mole ratio between reactant and product, as with \(\mathrm{FeTiO}_{3}\) and \(\mathrm{TiO}_{2}\), the number of moles of reactant would equal the number of moles of product in the theoretical yield.

Actual yield is the amount of product actually produced when a chemical reaction is carried out. This value is usually less than the theoretical yield due to a variety of factors such as incomplete reactions, side reactions, losses during product recovery, and measurement errors.

In practical scenarios, such as in a chemistry lab or an industrial process, obtaining this number can help chemists and engineers understand the efficiency of a reaction. To calculate the percent yield, you'll need both the actual and the theoretical yields. The comparison of actual yield to theoretical yield is a measure of reaction efficiency and is essential in the optimization of industrial processes.

The mole concept is a bridge between the atomic world and the macroscopic world. It's a unit of measurement for amount of substance in the International System of Units (SI). One mole is defined as the amount of substance containing as many entities (atoms, molecules, ions, etc.) as there are in 12 grams of carbon-12.

This concept helps in quantifying the atoms or molecules involved in a chemical reaction. By using Avogadro's number \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\), chemists can convert between the mass of a substance and the number of moles, facilitating stoichiometric calculations that are crucial for determining both theoretical and actual yields in chemical reactions.