How would your results (percent yield) be affected if you spilled some of your reaction mixture while trying to filter your product? Be specific and give an explanation.

Answer 1

If you spilled some of the reaction mixture while trying to filter the product, then you would certainly lose some of the product that had already been made. When you weighed the final product, it would be less than it should have been and thus your percent yield will be lower than it really was. This is because percent yield is actual yield / theoretical yield (x100%) and the actual yield will be low due to spillage.