practical techniques in organic chemistry

Question 1

reflux

Answer 1

a technique used for boiling volatile or flammable reactants or products over a prolonged period of time

Question 2

is the condenser in reflux vertical or horizontal, why is this?

Answer 2

vertical
to prevent the loss of reactants or products as gaseous vapours

Question 3

is the condenser in distillation vertical or inclined

Answer 3

inclined

Question 4

why are anti-bumping granules used in reflux

Answer 4

to prevent the mixture from boiling and bumping out of the flask

Question 5

what happens to vapour formed in reflux

Answer 5

it is condensed back to a liquid and returned to the pear-shaped flask

Question 6

what fact does the concept of distillation depend on

Answer 6

the fact that in a mixture of miscible liquids, each liquid has it’s own unique boiling point

Question 7

during distillation, in what position must the bulb of the thermometer be, and what is the reason for this

Answer 7

it must be positioned in line with the condenser
this ensures an accurate reading of the boiling point of each liquid as it is collected

Question 8

should the condenser in distillation be filled completely with hot or cold water

Answer 8

cold water

Question 9

in which cases do we redistil

Answer 9

when the organic liquids have boiling points that are relatively close together, therefore leading to the initial product containing impurities