To calculate the theoretical yield of acetylsalicylic acid, we first need to determine the limiting reagent in the reaction. We will do this by comparing the moles of each reactant.The balanced chemical equation for the synthesis of acetylsalicylic acid is:C7H6O3 salicylic acid + C4H6O3 acetic anhydride C9H8O4 acetylsalicylic acid + C2H4O2 acetic acid First, we need to find the molar mass of each reactant:Salicylic acid C7H6O3 : 7 * 12.01 + 6 * 1.01 + 3 * 16.00 = 138.12 g/molAcetic anhydride C4H6O3 : 4 * 12.01 + 6 * 1.01 + 3 * 16.00 = 102.09 g/molNow, we can find the moles of each reactant:Moles of salicylic acid = 3 g / 138.12 g/mol = 0.0217 molMoles of acetic anhydride = 5 g / 102.09 g/mol = 0.0489 molSince the stoichiometry of the reaction is 1:1, we can see that salicylic acid is the limiting reagent.Now, we can calculate the theoretical yield of acetylsalicylic acid C9H8O4 . First, we need to find its molar mass:Acetylsalicylic acid C9H8O4 : 9 * 12.01 + 8 * 1.01 + 4 * 16.00 = 180.16 g/molThe theoretical yield is based on the moles of the limiting reagent salicylic acid :Theoretical yield = 0.0217 mol * 180.16 g/mol = 3.91 gSo, the theoretical yield of acetylsalicylic acid is 3.91 grams, assuming complete conversion and 100% efficiency.