Question

According to a trade journal, approximately 950 million lb of 1,2-dichloroethane was exported from the United States in a recent year. ( The common name of this substance is ethylene dichloride.) The article states that “between 500 million and 550 million pounds of PVC could have been made from that ethylene dichloride.” Compute the range of percentage yields of PVC from 1,2-dichloroethane that is implied by these figures.

Short answer

The percentage yields of PVC from 1,2-dichloroethane implied by the given figures range from 52.63% to 57.89%.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

Ethylene dichloride undergoes polymerization and gives polyvinyl chloride, used in furniture, PVC pipes, automobile upholstery, etc. Production of PVC involves three steps:

1. Production of ethylene dichloride
2. Formation of Vinyl chloride monomer
3. Production of PVC.

Explanation

In the question given,950 million lb of 1,2-dichloroethane was exported from the United States recently, which can give between 500 million and 550 million pounds of PVC. So the range of percentage yields can be calculated as follows:

$$\begin{gathered} 950 \text{million} \text{lb =} \text{95000} \text{lb} \text{or} \text{pounds} \\ \text{500} \text{million} \text{pounds =} \text{500000} \text{lb} \text{or} \text{pounds} \\ \text{550} \text{million} \text{pounds =} \text{550000} \text{lb} \text{or} \text{pounds} \\ \text{\%} \text{Yield =} \frac{\text{500000}}{\text{950000}}\times \text{100 =} \text{52.63\%} \\ \text{\%} \text{Yield =} \frac{\text{550000}}{\text{950000}}\times \text{100 =} \text{57.89\%} \end{gathered}$$