The Secomd Decision
Based on the information given, most people would have chosen this option.
Minimizing the amount of waste is always a good thing. The less waste products which are produced the easier it will be to obtain a pure product. Also, often higher yields can be obtained if waste products can be kept out of the product stream.
However, it is important to realize the difference between waste reduction and waste separation. In this reaction, hydrochloric acid is still a waste product. It is still predicted by the reaction even though it comes off as gas. This consideration may have lead many of you to discount this factor when deciding which reaction would be the better choice.
Once again, the limited about of information given does not point to a clear-cut choice of reaction.
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