Practical techniques in organic chemistry

• Quickfit apparatus contains:

  1. round-bottom or pear-shaped flask
  2. receiver
  3. screw tap adapter
  4. condenser
  5. still head
• Heating under reflux is used to prepare an organic liquid without boiling off the solvent, reactants or products. To heat under reflux, you'll need:

  • round-bottom or pear-shaped flask
  • condenser
  • rubber tubing
  • standing clamp
  • heat source
• Distillation is a method used to separate a pure liquid from its impurities. To carry out our distillation, you'll need the following equipment:

  • round-bottom or pear-shaped flask
  • condenser
  • rubber tubing
  • heat source
  • standing clamp
  • screw cap adapter
  • receiver adaptor
  • still head
  • thermometer
• To separate organic liquids, you can use a separating funnel:

  1. ensure that the tap for the separating funnel is closed
  2. pour the mixture of liquid into the separating funnel place a stopper in the top of the funnel, and invert to mix the contents
  3. allow the layers to settle
  4. add some water to see which layer increases in volume- this is the aqueous layer
  5. place a conical flask under the separating funnel, remove the stopper and open the top until the volume of the lower layer has left the funnel
  6. place a second conical flask under the separating funnel to collect the other layer
  7. you will now have one conical flask containing the organic layer and another containing the aqueous layer 
• To dry organic liquids, you can use anhydrous calcium chloride, anhydrous calcium sulfate, and anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The procedure for drying an organic liquid is:

  1. add the organic liquid to a conical flask
  2. using a spatula, and some of the drying agent to the liquid and gently swirl the contents to mix together
  3. place a stopper on the flask to prevent your product from evaporating away. Leave for about 10 minutes
  4. if the solid has all stuck together in a clump, there is still some water present. Add more drying agent until some solid is dispersed in the solution as a fine powder
  5. decant the liquid from the solid into another flask. If the liquid is dry, it should be clear.