Organic Synthesis (16) Flashcards
What is reflux?
Reflux is a practical technique where a substance can be boiled continuously and condenses back into the flask
Why do we use reflux?
We use reflux to make sure that any volatile substances that evaporate easily aren’t lost. Using reflux, they continuously evaporate and condense back into the mixture which gives time for the reaction to occur.
Describe how reflux works using terms for equipment.
- Prepare your heating mantle or flame
- Add your solution to a pear-shaped flask
- Add antibumping granules to the flask too
- Clamp your condenser and then grease the end of it and place it into your flask
- Add rubber tubing to the inlet and outlet of the condenser, the inlet should be connected to the tap, the outlet should go in the sink, this keeps the flow of water
- Now heat your solution and give enough time for the reaction to take place
What heat source is best for reflux?
It is best to use a bunsen burner however, for flammable liquids use a heating mantle as naked flames cannot be present or it will ignite
Why are anti-bumping granules added?
They allow the mixture to boil smoothly so that no large bubbles are formed and the container doesn’t shake violently
What must you never put on the apparatus?
You must never put a stopper in the top of the Liebig condenser as the pressure will build up and the apparatus will explode
What is distillation?
It’s when you heat a mixture to a certain boiling point of your desired product. It then evaporates and condenses into another flask so you have separated out the mixture.
Why do we use distillation?
We use it to separate substances with different boiling points or to separate a pure substance from its impurities.
Describe how distillation works using terms for equipment.
- Prepare your bunsen burner
- Clamp your round-bottomed flask and fit it with a still head a screw cap adaptor
- Put a thermometer in your screw cap adaptor
- Clamp your receiver adaptor to support the structure and then attach your condenser to your still head.
- Place a conical flask at the bottom of the receiver
- Add tubing to the inlet and outlet of the condenser
- Start heating your liquid and wait until the substance with the lowest boiling point evaporates and condenses into the conical flask
What happens if the substance you need has the highest boiling point?
Redistillation can happen so you repeat the process after cleaning all the apparatus and closely monitor the boiling points until you end up with your final pure substance. The narrow the range of the boiling point, the purer the product.
What can happen when you form an organic product?
You can result in a mixture with the organic product and water. You will see two clear layers because most organic products are insoluble in water.
How can you tell which layer is organic?
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell, so you add more water to the mixture. The layer that gets bigger is your water layer and this will help you know which one to throw away once you separate them.
How do you separate organic products from water?
You use a separating funnel
Explain the steps for separating organic products from water
- Ensure the tap of the separating funnel is closed
- Pour your mixture into the separating funnel
- Put a stopper in the top of the funnel and invert it to mix the solution
- Allow the layers to settle
- Add water to see which layer increases in volume, so identify the water
- Open the tap and allow the entire lower layer to drip into a conical flask, label it
- Place a second flask under the tap and allow the remaining layer to drip into it, label it.
- Sometimes there may be H2SO4 also present in your reaction and this will interact with the drying agent to form CO2. You can get rid of this by tipping the separating funnel upside down and opening the tap slowly to release this gas.
Why might this still not be completely accurate?
There may still be traces of water left in the organic product from separating them using the funnel
