Answer to Question #166412 in Organic Chemistry for louisse heart

Question

 Why is less caffeine actually isolated than is suggested by the calculation

Answer 1

In practice, the amount of a substance obtained, called the actual yield, is almost always less than the amount of the substance predicted from the calculation, called the Theoretical yield. There are many reasons for this. For instance, part of the product may be lost when it is separated from the reaction mixture and purified. Also, many reactions do not proceed 100 percent from left to right. These reasons can be suggested for why less caffeine is isolated than suggested from calculation.