Compare actual product obtained against the theoretical maximum.
Multi-step yields multiply rather than average, so eight steps at 80 per cent each give only 17 per cent overall. That compounding is why synthetic routes are judged on step count as much as on individual yields. Reaching 50 per cent overall across ten steps requires 93 per cent per step, which is why long linear syntheses are avoided wherever a convergent route exists.
Percent Yield
Percent yield = actual ÷ theoretical × 100; overall yield = (per-step yield)^steps
Percent yield = actual ÷ theoretical × 100; overall yield = (per-step yield)^steps Multi-step yields multiply rather than average, so eight steps at 80 per cent each give only 17 per cent overall. That compounding is why synthetic routes are judged on step count as much as on individual yields.
Reaching 50 per cent overall across ten steps requires 93 per cent per step, which is why long linear syntheses are avoided wherever a convergent route exists.
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Actual yield, Theoretical yield, Number of synthetic steps. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.