What distinguishes a stoichiometric calculation from a yield calculation?

A stoichiometric calculation is focused on predicting the theoretical amounts of reactants and products in a chemical reaction based on balanced chemical equations. These calculations rely on the mole ratios of reactants and products to determine how much of each substance will be generated when reactants react completely under ideal conditions. This is why the theoretical amounts predicted by stoichiometric calculations are often referred to as "theoretical yields."

On the other hand, yield calculations aim to determine the efficiency of a reaction by comparing the actual amount of product obtained from an experiment to the theoretical yield predicted by stoichiometric calculations. The actual yield can be affected by various factors including the purity of reactants, incomplete reactions, side reactions, or losses during product recovery.

The distinction lies in their purposes: stoichiometric calculations are about predicting what should happen in an ideal scenario, while yield calculations assess how efficiently that theoretical scenario is realized in a practical setting. Thus, the focus on predicting theoretical amounts makes the correct answer relevant in differentiating the two types of calculations.