Atom Economy Flashcards

All 5 cards in this deck

What does the atom economy of a reaction tell you?

The percentage of the mass of the reactants that ends up as the desired product.

What are the steps to calculate the atom economy of a reaction?

e.g. $\mathrm{CaCO_3 \rightarrow CaO + CO_2}$, desired product CaO ($M_r$: CaCO$_3$ = 100, CaO = 56)

1. $M_r$ of desired product = $56$
2. Sum of $M_r$ of all reactants = $100$
3. Atom economy = $\dfrac{56}{100} \times 100 = 56\%$

True or false? A reaction whose only product is the desired product has an atom economy of 100%.

True. All the atoms of the reactants end up in the desired product.

True or false? A reaction with a high atom economy must also have a high percentage yield.

False. Atom economy depends on the equation, while yield depends on how much product is actually obtained.

What is the advantage of a reaction pathway with a high atom economy?

Less waste is produced, so raw materials are used more efficiently.