Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 1CH0
Key Concepts in Chemistry
States of Matter and Mixtures
Chemical Changes
Extracting Metals and Equilibria
Transition Metals, Quantitative Chemistry and Industrial Processes
Groups in the Periodic Table
Rates of Reaction and Energy Changes
Fuels and Earth Science
Chemical Analysis, Organic Chemistry and Materials
Transition Metals, Quantitative Chemistry and Industrial Processes
Atom economy and choosing a reaction pathway
- 3 things to know
- Paper 1
Overview
What atom economy measures and how it is calculated, how it differs from percentage yield, worked atom economies for calcium oxide, iron, copper, ammonia, hydrogen and oxygen, and choosing a reaction pathway by atom economy, yield, rate, equilibrium position, by-products and waste.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Distinguish between percentage yield and atom economy.
Explain why an atom economy of 100% does not mean all the reactant is converted in practice.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does the atom economy of a reaction measure?
Model answer
It measures the proportion of the mass of the reactants that ends up as the desired product.
- 2
State the expression used to find the atom economy of a reaction.
Model answer
Atom economy is the relative formula mass of the desired product divided by the total relative formula mass of all the products, multiplied by 100.
- 3
What is the atom economy of a reaction that forms only one product?
Model answer
It is 100%, because every atom from the reactants ends up in the desired product.
- 4
Explain why a high atom economy matters in industry.
Model answer
Less of the reactant mass is wasted, so raw materials go further and there is less waste to dispose of.
- 5
Distinguish between percentage yield and atom economy.
Model answer
Percentage yield compares the product actually obtained with the maximum possible, while atom economy compares the mass of the desired product with the mass of everything formed.
- 6
Explain why an atom economy of 100% does not mean all the reactant is converted in practice.
Model answer
Atom economy is worked out from the equation alone, so it takes no account of unreacted material or practical losses.
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