Making a Nail Varnish Remover
Ethyl Ethanoate is made from reacting ethyl with ethanoic acid which is
used for multitudes of purposes outside the lab for daily uses. In this
investigation, processes such as refluxing, and distillation are used to purify this
type of ester before testing its purity through finding the boiling point.
As the title mentions, one common use for this ester is as a nail varnish
remover and is also made at an industrial scale which I will be comparing to how
it was produced and purified in the laboratory.
Not only is ethyl ethanoate used as a nail varnish remover, it is also
manufactured to be used as a solvent in adhesives, coatings as well as paints.
Materials and apparatus:
Heating mantel
Jacks Ladder
2x 50cm3 Round Bottom flask
2x Retort Stand and Clamp
2x Rubber tubing
Liebig Condenser
Separating Funnel
100ml conical flask
10ml carboxylic acid
15ml ethanol
6 drops Sulphuric Acid
10ml 1M Sodium Chloride
Anhydrous Calcium Carbonate
To obtain pure ethyl ethanoate, there are various stages that an individual
must go through to make ethyl ethanoate and then further purify it.
Stage 1: Making the ester: Method:
1. In a 50cm3 round bottom flask, 15ml of ethanol was added to 10ml of
ethanoic acid.
a. The ethanoic acid was found in the fume cupboard as if too much of
its vapour is inhaled, it would cause a problem for individuals.
b. Five drops of sulphuric acid was also added to the solution as a
catalyst
i. Caution was taken to not invert the dropper bottle of the
sulphuric acid, otherwise the acid would corrode away at the
plastic and rubber tubing.
c. Boiling granules were also added to the mixture for a smooth and
even boiling of the mixture as it offers a surface for bubbles to form
rather than bubbles to bounce off the glassware.
2. A stand and clamp was set up to hold the 50cm3 round bottom flask
containing the solution.
3. Beneath the round bottom flask, a heating mantel was put upon a jack
ladder to surround the bottom of the flask to heat the solution.
, a. The inside of the heating mantel did not touch the round bottom
flask and instead surrounded the flask.
4. The solution was given time to boil.
5. When the solution in the round bottom flask began to boil, the apparatus
for refluxing was set up.
6. To set up the apparatus for refluxing, a second clamp was set up to hold a
Liebig condenser that was attached to the round bottom flask vertically.
a. Rubber tuning’s were also attached where the water entered from
the bottom of the condenser and exited from the top.
7. Allow the mixture to reflux this way for ten minutes.
Stage 2: Distillation: Method 2:
1. After the mixture had been refluxing for ten minutes and was left to cool
down, the apparatus was manipulated for simple distillation.
2. A second stand and clamp was positioned for the Liebig condenser to be
held horizontally whilst being connected to a glass ground joint
a. A glass ground joint was used to ensure no leakages took place
b. The rubber tubing’s were used to ensure water entered from the
bottom of the condenser and left from the top.
c. A thermometer was used to measure the temperature of the
mixture inside the round bottom flask
3. A collector tube was added at the end of the Liebig condenser with a
100ml conical flask beneath to collect the liquid at the end.
4. The heating mantel was used to heat the mixture in the conical flask for
distillation.
a. Distillation was used to obtain the distilled liquid in the 100ml
conical flask.
Stage 3: Removing acidic impurities:
After the process of distillation is completed, the acidic impurities in the
ethyl ethanoate must be disposed of:
1. 5cm3 of carbonate was added to the distillate in the conical flask
2. The solution was then poured into the separating funnel
a. The tap of the funnel was ensured to be closed before the distillate
was poured in.
3. The separating funnel was then inverted a few times
a. Pressure was released from the separating funnel by removing the
stopper after each inversion.
4. Two layers were identified in the separating funnel and the aqueous layer
was discarded.
Stage 4: Removing alcohol impurities:
Even after removing the acidic impurities in the ethyl ethanoate with the
separating funnel, there were still traces of alcohol left in the ethyl ethanoate:
1. The layer left in the separating funnel, known as the organic layer, was
tapped into a conical flask
, 2. A solution of 5g of calcium chloride dissolved in 20cm 3 of water was then
added to the organic layer.
3. This mixture was poured into a separating funnel and the process was
repeated
a. The separating funnel was inverted, and pressure was released
after each inversion by removing the stopper.
4. When the layer was formed within the separating funnel, the lower
aqueous layer was tapped off and disposed of.
a. The liquid that remained in the separating funnel was ethyl
ethanoate.
Stage 5: Drying the Product:
At this stage of obtaining pure ethyl ethanoate, the remaining impurity is
water:
1. The ethyl ethanoate remaining in the separating funnel was transferred to
a 100cm3 conical flask
a. To this flask, pieces of granular calcium chloride was also added
b. The ethyl ethanoate in the conical flask was left to stand for twenty
minutes and shaken occasionally.
2. Once the conical flask was left to stand, the ethyl ethanoate was filtered
through filter paper into a 50cm3 round bottom flask
a. A few anti bumping granules were then added to the round bottom
flask and the apparatus for distillation was assembled again.
b. During distillation, a thermometer was used to ensure distillate from
ranges 74-79oC were collected.
Siwoloboff method:
The Siwoloboff method is a way of testing the purity of the ethyl ethanoate
made through the processes outlined previously. We can test the purity of
different substances using its melting or boiling point, though
the Siwoloboff method uses the boiling point to find the purity of a substance.
Apparatus and material:
Heat source
3x Capillary tube (one end sealed)
250cm3 beaker
Sample of ethyl ethanoate
Boiling tube
Tongs
1. A 250cm3 beaker was half filled with tap water before being placed upon a
heating source (hotplate).
2. 3ml of ethyl ethanoate was transferred into a boiling tube with a capillary
tube that was sealed on one end and a thermometer
a. The opening of the capillary tube was put into the beaker first and
tied together with the thermometer with a rubber band.
b. Both the capillary tube and thermometer were then placed inside
the boiling tube.
Ethyl Ethanoate is made from reacting ethyl with ethanoic acid which is
used for multitudes of purposes outside the lab for daily uses. In this
investigation, processes such as refluxing, and distillation are used to purify this
type of ester before testing its purity through finding the boiling point.
As the title mentions, one common use for this ester is as a nail varnish
remover and is also made at an industrial scale which I will be comparing to how
it was produced and purified in the laboratory.
Not only is ethyl ethanoate used as a nail varnish remover, it is also
manufactured to be used as a solvent in adhesives, coatings as well as paints.
Materials and apparatus:
Heating mantel
Jacks Ladder
2x 50cm3 Round Bottom flask
2x Retort Stand and Clamp
2x Rubber tubing
Liebig Condenser
Separating Funnel
100ml conical flask
10ml carboxylic acid
15ml ethanol
6 drops Sulphuric Acid
10ml 1M Sodium Chloride
Anhydrous Calcium Carbonate
To obtain pure ethyl ethanoate, there are various stages that an individual
must go through to make ethyl ethanoate and then further purify it.
Stage 1: Making the ester: Method:
1. In a 50cm3 round bottom flask, 15ml of ethanol was added to 10ml of
ethanoic acid.
a. The ethanoic acid was found in the fume cupboard as if too much of
its vapour is inhaled, it would cause a problem for individuals.
b. Five drops of sulphuric acid was also added to the solution as a
catalyst
i. Caution was taken to not invert the dropper bottle of the
sulphuric acid, otherwise the acid would corrode away at the
plastic and rubber tubing.
c. Boiling granules were also added to the mixture for a smooth and
even boiling of the mixture as it offers a surface for bubbles to form
rather than bubbles to bounce off the glassware.
2. A stand and clamp was set up to hold the 50cm3 round bottom flask
containing the solution.
3. Beneath the round bottom flask, a heating mantel was put upon a jack
ladder to surround the bottom of the flask to heat the solution.
, a. The inside of the heating mantel did not touch the round bottom
flask and instead surrounded the flask.
4. The solution was given time to boil.
5. When the solution in the round bottom flask began to boil, the apparatus
for refluxing was set up.
6. To set up the apparatus for refluxing, a second clamp was set up to hold a
Liebig condenser that was attached to the round bottom flask vertically.
a. Rubber tuning’s were also attached where the water entered from
the bottom of the condenser and exited from the top.
7. Allow the mixture to reflux this way for ten minutes.
Stage 2: Distillation: Method 2:
1. After the mixture had been refluxing for ten minutes and was left to cool
down, the apparatus was manipulated for simple distillation.
2. A second stand and clamp was positioned for the Liebig condenser to be
held horizontally whilst being connected to a glass ground joint
a. A glass ground joint was used to ensure no leakages took place
b. The rubber tubing’s were used to ensure water entered from the
bottom of the condenser and left from the top.
c. A thermometer was used to measure the temperature of the
mixture inside the round bottom flask
3. A collector tube was added at the end of the Liebig condenser with a
100ml conical flask beneath to collect the liquid at the end.
4. The heating mantel was used to heat the mixture in the conical flask for
distillation.
a. Distillation was used to obtain the distilled liquid in the 100ml
conical flask.
Stage 3: Removing acidic impurities:
After the process of distillation is completed, the acidic impurities in the
ethyl ethanoate must be disposed of:
1. 5cm3 of carbonate was added to the distillate in the conical flask
2. The solution was then poured into the separating funnel
a. The tap of the funnel was ensured to be closed before the distillate
was poured in.
3. The separating funnel was then inverted a few times
a. Pressure was released from the separating funnel by removing the
stopper after each inversion.
4. Two layers were identified in the separating funnel and the aqueous layer
was discarded.
Stage 4: Removing alcohol impurities:
Even after removing the acidic impurities in the ethyl ethanoate with the
separating funnel, there were still traces of alcohol left in the ethyl ethanoate:
1. The layer left in the separating funnel, known as the organic layer, was
tapped into a conical flask
, 2. A solution of 5g of calcium chloride dissolved in 20cm 3 of water was then
added to the organic layer.
3. This mixture was poured into a separating funnel and the process was
repeated
a. The separating funnel was inverted, and pressure was released
after each inversion by removing the stopper.
4. When the layer was formed within the separating funnel, the lower
aqueous layer was tapped off and disposed of.
a. The liquid that remained in the separating funnel was ethyl
ethanoate.
Stage 5: Drying the Product:
At this stage of obtaining pure ethyl ethanoate, the remaining impurity is
water:
1. The ethyl ethanoate remaining in the separating funnel was transferred to
a 100cm3 conical flask
a. To this flask, pieces of granular calcium chloride was also added
b. The ethyl ethanoate in the conical flask was left to stand for twenty
minutes and shaken occasionally.
2. Once the conical flask was left to stand, the ethyl ethanoate was filtered
through filter paper into a 50cm3 round bottom flask
a. A few anti bumping granules were then added to the round bottom
flask and the apparatus for distillation was assembled again.
b. During distillation, a thermometer was used to ensure distillate from
ranges 74-79oC were collected.
Siwoloboff method:
The Siwoloboff method is a way of testing the purity of the ethyl ethanoate
made through the processes outlined previously. We can test the purity of
different substances using its melting or boiling point, though
the Siwoloboff method uses the boiling point to find the purity of a substance.
Apparatus and material:
Heat source
3x Capillary tube (one end sealed)
250cm3 beaker
Sample of ethyl ethanoate
Boiling tube
Tongs
1. A 250cm3 beaker was half filled with tap water before being placed upon a
heating source (hotplate).
2. 3ml of ethyl ethanoate was transferred into a boiling tube with a capillary
tube that was sealed on one end and a thermometer
a. The opening of the capillary tube was put into the beaker first and
tied together with the thermometer with a rubber band.
b. Both the capillary tube and thermometer were then placed inside
the boiling tube.
