Experiment Four Essay

693 Words3 Pages
Experiment 4: Recrystallization of Pure Phthalic Acid, Benzoic Acid, and Naphthalene Experiment 4: Recrystallization of Pure Phthalic Acid, Benzoic Acid, and Naphthalene Introduction: This experiment involves the technique of recrystallization by utilizing the compounds phthalic acid, benzoic acid, and naphthalene. Recrystallization is an effective method in purifying solid organic compounds. It is useful for a majority of solid organic compounds at room temperature. Selecting the appropriate solvent in the recrystallization process is a crucial step. Organic compounds tend to be more soluble in hot solvents than in cold solvents. If a saturated hot solution is cooled, the solute is not soluble in the solvent and results in crystals of pure compound. Recrystallization includes dissolution of a solid in a suitable solvent and at an increased temperature. This results in the formation of crystals once cooled. A majority of the impurities will remain in the solution and the main compound has been purified. Percent recovery is determined at the end of the procedure because it is not possible to recover the entire compound. To maximize the percent recovery, it is critical to use the minimum amount of the heated solvent. When choosing the solvent in this process, it is important to remember that like dissolves like, meaning that a nonpolar compound will dissolve appropriately in a nonpolar solvent, and a polar solvent will appropriately dissolve in a polar solvent. An ideal solvent for recrystallization should dissolve the entire compound once the solvent is boiling, and dissolve minimal amounts of the compound at room temperature. It should also have different solubilities for the compounds and the impurities. The flask contains a hot solution in which the solute molecules are moving freely

More about Experiment Four Essay

Open Document