Percent Recovery Calculator
Find the percent recovery of a purification step, such as recrystallization or extraction, by comparing the mass of purified product you recovered to the mass you started with.
What percent recovery measures
Percent recovery tells you how efficiently a purification technique, such as recrystallization, filtration, or extraction, retained your compound. Some material is almost always lost during purification (left in the solvent, stuck to glassware, or removed with impurities), so percent recovery quantifies that loss.
The formula
Percent recovery is calculated as %recovery = (mass of purified product recovered ÷ initial mass before purification) × 100. A higher percentage indicates a more efficient purification step, though a value near 100% on a step meant to remove impurities can sometimes suggest insufficient purification occurred.
Note: Percent recovery describes purification efficiency and is a different quantity from percent yield, which compares a reaction’s actual product to its theoretical maximum. This calculator is intended for general chemistry lab education and planning purposes.