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12 Dec 2019

A student performs the following steps to isolate biphenyl from a solid 1:1 mixture of biphenyl and salicylic acid.

Dissolve 2.0 grams of the mixture in 20 mL of ether

Extract the ether layer 2-3 times with an aqueous solution of 5% sodium

bicarbonate

Add 2-3 spatula tips of sodium sulfate to the ether layer

Extract the ether layer with a saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride.

Isolate the organic layer and evaporate the ether.

The solid they collect at the end weighs 1.23 g and has a wide melting point range. If the student expected to recover 1 gram of pure biphenyl, explain, based on the procedural information given above, why this student did not see their expected results. Hint: The order of steps in an extraction can be important.

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Reid Wolff
Reid WolffLv2
13 Dec 2019
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