Sarah Hill - 175220 Unit 4 – Assignment Learning Aim B
Unit 4 laboratory techniques and their application: Learning
Aim B: Explore manufacturing techniques and testing
methods for an organic liquid.
Introduction:
In this report, I will be reporting on exploring manufacturing techniques and
testing methods for an organic liquid. I have demonstrated and tested the
purity of an organic liquid and have drawn up conclusions. I will also be
describing the industrial manufacture and testing of an organic liquid, and I will
be comparing the techniques used in the laboratory and industrial techniques
of an organic liquid. Finally, I will be analysing the factors affecting the yield
and purity of the organic liquid in the laboratory technique and its relevance to
its industrial manufacture.
M2/P3 –
An organic liquid is normally characterised as liquids that consist of one or
more carbon atom joined by a covalent bond. Common atoms included in
organic molecules are hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and halogens.
A pure element or compound contains only one substance, with no other
substances mixed in, whereas impure materials may be mixtures of other
elements, mixtures of compounds, or mixtures of elements and compounds.
Purity has an important impact on the chemical properties of a substance, pure
substances also have the potential to form predictable products from chemical
reactions.
Our process in purifying the organic liquid followed 5 stages to ensure we got
the best results possible. Each stage was vital to be able to get the organic
liquid as pure as possible. Firstly, we started by putting ethanol, carboxylic
acid, and a small amount of concentrated sulfuric acid into a round bottom
flask. The carboxylic acid is known as ethanoic acid, and we add a small
amount of sulfuric acid as a catalyst, so it speeds up the reaction. Then we add
anti-bumping granules, these were added to ensure the boiling is smooth and
doesn’t boil too quickly and vigorously. This technique is called heating under
reflux. This refers to heating a solution with an attached condenser to prevent
any chemicals from escaping. Any vapor from the chemicals that condenses on
the cool surface due to the movement of the cold water, flow back down into
the flask, this is to ensure that none of the chemicals escape and there is no
waste. We use this technique to speed up the process even quicker, as all the
1
,Sarah Hill - 175220 Unit 4 – Assignment Learning Aim B
chemicals would react without the need for heat. The heat acts as a second
catalyst to speed up the reaction. The set up for this step is shown below:
The next step was to extract the Ethyl Ethanoate from the mixture with water,
this is done by the process of fractional distillation. Fractional distillation is the
process of separating a liquid mixture into different fractions with different
boiling points by using distillation. The temperature of the mixture must be
kept above 77⁰C but must be kept below 100⁰C, this is because the boiling
point of the Ethyl Ethanoate is 77⁰C but the water has a boiling point of 100⁰C
and the water cannot boil and go into the glass vessel. By doing this in our
experiment, we were getting rid of the majority of the water in the mixture,
therefore, leaving the ester itself, a small quantity of the catalyse, sulphuric
acid, and alcohol in the mixture, leaving most of the water in the round-
bottomed flask. This mixture is collected in a glass vessel, although it cannot be
a completely sealed system or the pressure may build up causing an explosion.
The set up for the fractional distillation is shown below:
2
, Sarah Hill - 175220 Unit 4 – Assignment Learning Aim B
The next step in the laboratory method is to remove acidic impurities. The
mixture from the glass vessel from the fractional distillation now needs to be
transferred into a separating funnel with a tap on it. A sodium carbonate
solution is then added to this to neutralise the remaining acids. The separating
funnel is then shaken to ensure all the acid is neutralised, although this then
produces carbon dioxide so the separating funnel must be turned upside down
and the tap then needs to be opened to ensure that the carbon dioxide
escapes. This needs to be done until the mixture has stopped reacting, the
mixture is allowed to settle. This allows the two solutions in the funnel to
separate. The stopper needs to be removed to ensure a vacuum hasn’t been
made and then the tap opened carefully to allow the sodium carbonate
solution to run out. The acidic impurities and any salts that may have formed
have been removed via the aqueous sodium carbonate solution, therefore,
removing the carboxylic acid and the sulphuric acid left in the remainder in the
ester.
3
Unit 4 laboratory techniques and their application: Learning
Aim B: Explore manufacturing techniques and testing
methods for an organic liquid.
Introduction:
In this report, I will be reporting on exploring manufacturing techniques and
testing methods for an organic liquid. I have demonstrated and tested the
purity of an organic liquid and have drawn up conclusions. I will also be
describing the industrial manufacture and testing of an organic liquid, and I will
be comparing the techniques used in the laboratory and industrial techniques
of an organic liquid. Finally, I will be analysing the factors affecting the yield
and purity of the organic liquid in the laboratory technique and its relevance to
its industrial manufacture.
M2/P3 –
An organic liquid is normally characterised as liquids that consist of one or
more carbon atom joined by a covalent bond. Common atoms included in
organic molecules are hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and halogens.
A pure element or compound contains only one substance, with no other
substances mixed in, whereas impure materials may be mixtures of other
elements, mixtures of compounds, or mixtures of elements and compounds.
Purity has an important impact on the chemical properties of a substance, pure
substances also have the potential to form predictable products from chemical
reactions.
Our process in purifying the organic liquid followed 5 stages to ensure we got
the best results possible. Each stage was vital to be able to get the organic
liquid as pure as possible. Firstly, we started by putting ethanol, carboxylic
acid, and a small amount of concentrated sulfuric acid into a round bottom
flask. The carboxylic acid is known as ethanoic acid, and we add a small
amount of sulfuric acid as a catalyst, so it speeds up the reaction. Then we add
anti-bumping granules, these were added to ensure the boiling is smooth and
doesn’t boil too quickly and vigorously. This technique is called heating under
reflux. This refers to heating a solution with an attached condenser to prevent
any chemicals from escaping. Any vapor from the chemicals that condenses on
the cool surface due to the movement of the cold water, flow back down into
the flask, this is to ensure that none of the chemicals escape and there is no
waste. We use this technique to speed up the process even quicker, as all the
1
,Sarah Hill - 175220 Unit 4 – Assignment Learning Aim B
chemicals would react without the need for heat. The heat acts as a second
catalyst to speed up the reaction. The set up for this step is shown below:
The next step was to extract the Ethyl Ethanoate from the mixture with water,
this is done by the process of fractional distillation. Fractional distillation is the
process of separating a liquid mixture into different fractions with different
boiling points by using distillation. The temperature of the mixture must be
kept above 77⁰C but must be kept below 100⁰C, this is because the boiling
point of the Ethyl Ethanoate is 77⁰C but the water has a boiling point of 100⁰C
and the water cannot boil and go into the glass vessel. By doing this in our
experiment, we were getting rid of the majority of the water in the mixture,
therefore, leaving the ester itself, a small quantity of the catalyse, sulphuric
acid, and alcohol in the mixture, leaving most of the water in the round-
bottomed flask. This mixture is collected in a glass vessel, although it cannot be
a completely sealed system or the pressure may build up causing an explosion.
The set up for the fractional distillation is shown below:
2
, Sarah Hill - 175220 Unit 4 – Assignment Learning Aim B
The next step in the laboratory method is to remove acidic impurities. The
mixture from the glass vessel from the fractional distillation now needs to be
transferred into a separating funnel with a tap on it. A sodium carbonate
solution is then added to this to neutralise the remaining acids. The separating
funnel is then shaken to ensure all the acid is neutralised, although this then
produces carbon dioxide so the separating funnel must be turned upside down
and the tap then needs to be opened to ensure that the carbon dioxide
escapes. This needs to be done until the mixture has stopped reacting, the
mixture is allowed to settle. This allows the two solutions in the funnel to
separate. The stopper needs to be removed to ensure a vacuum hasn’t been
made and then the tap opened carefully to allow the sodium carbonate
solution to run out. The acidic impurities and any salts that may have formed
have been removed via the aqueous sodium carbonate solution, therefore,
removing the carboxylic acid and the sulphuric acid left in the remainder in the
ester.
3
