4.4 Exercise 8

Toluene, C₆H₅CH₃, is oxidized by air under carefully controlled conditions to benzoic acid, C₆H₅CO₂H, which is used to prepare the food preservative sodium benzoate, C₆H₅CO₂Na. What is the percent yield of a reaction that converts 1.000 kg of toluene to 1.21 kg of benzoic acid?

$2 \text{C}_{6} \text{H}_{5} \text{CH}_{3} + 3 \text{O}_{2} \rightarrow 2 \text{C}_{6} \text{H}_{5} \text{CO}_{2} \text{H} + 2 \text{H}_{2} \text{O}$