A student attempts to synthesise a pure sample of the insoluble salt barium sulfate (BaSO4\text{BaSO}_4BaSO4) by mixing solutions of barium chloride and sodium sulfate.
The student calculates that they should theoretically obtain 4.50 g of barium sulfate precipitate. After filtering, washing with distilled water, and drying the precipitate, the actual mass of barium sulfate recovered is 3.92 g, giving a percentage yield of 87.1%.
Give two reasons why the actual yield in a practical preparation of an insoluble salt like this is less than the theoretical yield.
Practise Edexcel GCSE Chemistry Quantitative analysis with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 100 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.