practical techniques in organic chemistry

Question 1

what is a reflux reaction

Answer 1

• a technique used for boiling volatile/flammable reactants/products over a prolonged period of time
• use a vertical condenser = prevents the loss of reactants or products as gaseous vapor, any vapor formed is condensed back into a liquid and returned to the pear shaped flask
• anti bumping granules are required to stop the reaction mixture from boiling over out of the flask

Question 2

what is distillation

Answer 2

• relies on the fact that in a mixture, each component has a different boiling point
• the bulb thermometer must be placed in line with the condenser to ensure an accurate reading of the boiling point of each liquid