Physical Properties of liquids
Dr. Nagham Mahmood Aljamali
Organic Chemistry, Chemistry Department, College of Education.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: dr.nagham_mj@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT:
Characterization of liquids as physical properties are the aim of this survey, types of liquids like (boiling m density, other properties ) were listed in tables
KEYWORDS: Aceto , Fluid
1. INTRODUCTION:
Mechanism of any salvation depends on infinity of any solvent to reactants :
· Different solvents interact very differently with microwaves, because of their diverse polar and ionic properties of solvents.
· Acetonitrile, DMF, and alcohols are often used solvents in microwave-assisted organic synthesis.
· You might not need to change from the solvent that is specified for the reaction under traditional chemistry conditions. Firstly, try using the solvent that you would normally use.
· Polar solvents (e.g. DMF, NMP, DMSO, methanol, ethanol, and acetic acid) couple well with microwaves due to their polarity, i.e. you can be sure that the temperature will rise substantially with these solvents.
· Non-polar solvents (e.g. toluene, dioxane, THF) can be heated only if other components in the reaction mixture respond to microwave energy, i.e. if the reaction mixture contains either polar reactants or ions. When using less polar solvents, more concentrated reaction mixtures might be preferable. Under such circumstances, the achievable temperature can be quite high.
· Ionic liquids are reported as new, environmentally friendly, recyclable alternatives to dipolar aprotic solvents for organic synthesis. The dielectric properties of ionic liquids make them highly suitable for use as solvents or additives in microwave-assisted organic synthesis. Ionic liquids consist entirely of ions and therefore absorb microwave irradiation extremely efficiently. Furthermore, they have a low vapour pressure, enhancing their suitability even further. Despite ionic liquids being salts, they dissolve to an appreciable extent in a wide range of organic solvents, and can therefore be used to increase the microwave absorption of low absorbing matrices.
· Solvents can behave differently at elevated temperatures; most solvents have a lower dielectric constant and are hence less polar. Water is maybe the most interesting case. At elevated temperatures the bond angle in water widens and its dielectric properties approach those of organic solvents. Water at 250°C actually has similar dielectric properties as acetonitrile at room temperature. Thus, water can be used as a pseudo-organic solvent at elevated temperature where organic molecules will dissolve not only because of the temperature but also because of the change in dielectric properties. This makes some reactions that normally would not run in water perfectly feasible.
· Solvents with low boiling points (e.g. methanol, dichloromethane and acetone), give lower achievable temperatures due to the pressure build-up in the vessel. If a higher absolute temperature is desirable to achieve a fast reaction it is advisable to change to a closely related solvent with a higher boiling point, e.g. dichloroethane instead of dichloromethane.
Polar Solvents :
Have large dipole moments (aka “partial charges”); they contain bonds between atoms with very different electronegativities, such as oxygen and hydrogen.
Non polar Solvents:
Contain bonds between atoms with similar electronegativities, such as carbon and hydrogen (think hydrocarbons, such as gasoline). Bonds between atoms with similar electronegativities will lack partial charges; it’s this absence of charge which makes these molecules “non-polar”.
There are two common ways of measuring this polarity. One is through measuring a constant called “dielectric constant” or permitivity. The greater the dielectric constant, the greater the polarity (water = high, gasoline = low). A second comes from directly measuring the dipole moment.
There’s a final distinction to be made and this causes confusion. Some solvents are called “protic” and some are called “aprotic”. What makes a solvent a “protic” solvent, anyway?
§ Protic solvents have O-H or N-H bonds. Why is this important? Because protic solvents can participate in hydrogen bonding, which is a powerful intermolecular force. Additionally, these O-H or N-H bonds can serve as a source of protons (H+).
§ Aprotic solvents may have hydrogens on them somewhere, but they lack O-H or N-H bonds, and therefore cannot hydrogen bond with themselves.
For the average first semester student, these distinctions come up the most in substitution reactions, where hydrogen bonding solvents tend to decrease the reactivity of nucleophiles; polar aprotic solvents, on the other hand, do not.
There are 3 types of solvents commonly encountered: nonpolar, polar aprotic, and polar protic. (There ain’t such a thing as a non-polar protic solvent).
OK, enough yammering. Here are some (hopefully useful) tables.
Nonpolar solvents:
These solvents have low dielectric constants (<5) and are not good solvents for charged species such as anions. However diethyl ether (Et2O) is a common solvent for Grignard reactions; its lone pairs are Lewis basic and can help to solvate the Mg cation.
“Borderline” Polar aprotic solvents :
These solvents have moderately higher dielectric constants than the nonpolar solvents (between 5 and 20). Since they have intermediate polarity they are good “general purpose” solvents for a wide range of reactions. They are “aprotic” because they lack O-H or N-H bonds. For our purposes they don’t participate in reactions: they serve only as the medium.
Polar aprotic solvents
These solvents all have large dielectric constants (>20) and large dipole moments, but they do not participate in hydrogen bonding (no O-H or N-H bonds). Their high polarity allows them to dissolve charged species such as various anions used as nucleophiles (e.g. CN(-), HO(-), etc.). The lack of hydrogen bonding in the solvent means that these nucleophiles are relatively “free” in solution, making them more reactive. For our purposes these solvents do not participate in the reaction.
Polar protic solvents
Polar protic solvents tend to have high dielectric constants and high dipole moments. Furthermore, since they possess O-H or N-H bonds, they can also participate in hydrogen bonding. These solvents can also serve as acids (sources of protons) and weak nucleophiles (forming bonds with strong electrophiles).
They are most commonly used as the solvent for their conjugate bases. (e.g. H2O is used as the solvent for HO(-); EtOH is used as the solvent for EtO(-). )
These types of solvents are by far the most likely to participate in reactions.
The solvents are grouped into non-polar, polar aprotic, and polar protic solvents and ordered by increasing polarity. The polarity is given as the dielectric constant. The properties of solvents that exceed those of water are bolded.
Solvent |
Chemical formula |
Boiling point |
Dielectric constant |
Density |
Dipole moment |
Non- polar solvents |
|||||
Pentane |
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3 |
36 °C |
1.84 |
0.626 g/ml |
0.00 D |
Cyclopentane |
C5H10 |
40 °C |
1.97 |
0.751 g/ml |
0.00 D |
Hexane |
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3 |
69 °C |
1.88 |
0.655 g/ml |
0.00 D |
Cyclohexane |
C6H12 |
81 °C |
2.02 |
0.779 g/ml |
0.00 D |
Benzene |
C6H6 |
80 °C |
2.3 |
0.879 g/ml |
0.00 D |
Toluene |
C6H5-CH3 |
111 °C |
2.38 |
0.867 g/ml |
0.36 D |
1,4-Dioxane |
/-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-O-\ |
101 °C |
2.3 |
1.033 g/ml |
0.45 D |
Chloroform |
CHCl3 |
61 °C |
4.81 |
1.498 g/ml |
1.04 D |
Diethyl ether |
CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3 |
35 °C |
4.3 |
0.713 g/ml |
1.15 D |
Dichloromethane (DCM) |
CH2Cl2 |
40 °C |
9.1 |
1.3266 g/ml |
1.60 D |
Polar aprotic solvents |
|||||
Tetrahydrofuran (THF) |
/-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-\ |
66 °C |
7.5 |
0.886 g/ml |
1.75 D |
Ethyl acetate |
CH3-C(=O)-O-CH2-CH3 |
77 °C |
6.02 |
0.894 g/ml |
1.78 D |
Acetone |
CH3-C(=O)-CH3 |
56 °C |
21 |
0.786 g/ml |
2.88 D |
Dimethylformamide (DMF) |
H-C(=O)N(CH3)2 |
153 °C |
38 |
0.944 g/ml |
3.82 D |
Acetonitrile (MeCN) |
CH3-C≡N |
82 °C |
37.5 |
0.786 g/ml |
3.92 D |
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) |
CH3-S(=O)-CH3 |
189 °C |
46.7 |
1.092 g/ml |
3.96 D |
Nitromethane |
CH3-NO2 |
100–103 °C |
35.87 |
1.1371 g/ml |
3.56 D |
Propylene carbonate |
C4H6O3 |
240 °C |
64.0 |
1.205 g/ml |
4.9 D |
Polar protic solvents |
|||||
Formic acid |
H-C(=O)OH |
101 °C |
58 |
1.21 g/ml |
1.41 D |
n-Butanol |
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-OH |
118 °C |
18 |
0.810 g/ml |
1.63 D |
Isopropanol (IPA) |
CH3-CH(-OH)-CH3 |
82 °C |
18 |
0.785 g/ml |
1.66 D |
n-Propanol |
CH3-CH2-CH2-OH |
97 °C |
20 |
0.803 g/ml |
1.68 D |
Ethanol |
CH3-CH2-OH |
79 °C |
24.55 |
0.789 g/ml |
1.69 D |
Methanol |
CH3-OH |
65 °C |
33 |
0.791 g/ml |
1.70 D |
Acetic acid |
CH3-C(=O)OH |
118 °C |
6.2 |
1.049 g/ml |
1.74 D |
Water |
H-O-H |
100 °C |
80 |
1.000 g/ml |
1.85 D |
The following table shows that the intuitions from "non-polar", "polar aprotic" and "polar protic" are put numerically – the "polar" molecules have higher levels of δP and the protic solvents have higher levels of δH. Because numerical values are used, comparisons can be made rationally by comparing numbers. For example, acetonitrile is much more polar than acetone but exhibits slightly less hydrogen bonding.
Solvent |
δD Dispersion |
δP Polar |
δ H Hydrogen bonding |
|
Non-polar solvents |
||||
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3 |
14.9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
C6H6 |
18.4 |
0.0 |
2.0 |
|
C6H5-CH3 |
18.0 |
1.4 |
2.0 |
|
CH3CH2-O-CH2-CH3 |
14.5 |
2.9 |
4.6 |
|
CHCl3 |
17.8 |
3.1 |
5.7 |
|
/-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-O-\ |
17.5 |
1.8 |
9.0 |
|
Polar aprotic solvents |
||||
CH3-C(=O)-O-CH2-CH3 |
15.8 |
5.3 |
7.2 |
|
Tetrahydrofuran (THF) |
/-CH2-CH2-O-CH2-CH2-\ |
16.8 |
5.7 |
8.0 |
CH2Cl2 |
17.0 |
7.3 |
7.1 |
|
CH3-C(=O)-CH3 |
15.5 |
10.4 |
7.0 |
|
Acetonitrile (MeCN) |
CH3-C≡N |
15.3 |
18.0 |
6.1 |
Dimethylformamide (DMF) |
H-C(=O)N(CH3)2 |
17.4 |
13.7 |
11.3 |
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) |
CH3-S(=O)-CH3 |
18.4 |
16.4 |
10.2 |
Polar protic solvents |
||||
CH3-C(=O)OH |
14.5 |
8.0 |
13.5 |
|
CH3-CH2-CH2-CH2-OH |
16.0 |
5.7 |
15.8 |
|
CH3-CH(-OH)-CH3 |
15.8 |
6.1 |
16.4 |
|
CH3-CH2-CH2-OH |
16.0 |
6.8 |
17.4 |
|
CH3-CH2-OH |
15.8 |
8.8 |
19.4 |
|
CH3-OH |
14.7 |
12.3 |
22.3 |
|
H-C(=O)OH |
14.6 |
10.0 |
14.0 |
|
H-O-H |
15.5 |
16.0 |
42.3 |
Solvent |
Boiling point (°C)[9] |
Ethylene dichloride |
83.48 |
Pyridine |
115.25 |
Methyl isobutyl ketone |
116.5 |
Methylene chloride |
39.75 |
Isooctane |
99.24 |
Carbon disulfide |
46.3 |
Carbon tetrachloride |
76.75 |
O-xylene |
144.42 |
An important property of solvents is the boiling point. This also determines the speed of evaporation. Small amounts of low-boiling-point solvents like diethyl ether, dichloromethane, or acetone will evaporate in seconds at room temperature, while high-boiling-point solvents like water or dimethyl sulfoxide need higher temperatures, an air flow, or the application of vacuum for fast evaporation.
· Low boilers: boiling point below 100 °C (boiling point of water)
· Medium boilers: between 100 °C and 150 °C
· High boilers: above 150 °C
Most organic solvents have a lower density than water, which means they are lighter and will form a separate layer on top of water. An important exception: most of the halogenated solvents like dichloromethane or chloroform will sink to the bottom of a container, leaving water as the top layer. This is important to remember when partitioning compounds between solvents and water in a separatory funnel during chemical syntheses.
Often, specific gravity is cited in place of density. Specific gravity is defined as the density of the solvent divided by the density of water at the same temperature. As such, specific gravity is a unitless value. It readily communicates whether a water-insoluble solvent will float (SG < 1.0) or sink (SG > 1.0) when mixed with water.
Solvent |
Specific gravity |
Pentane |
0.626 |
Petroleum ether |
0.656 |
Hexane |
0.659 |
Heptane |
0.684 |
Diethyl amine |
0.707 |
Diethyl ether |
0.713 |
Triethyl amine |
0.728 |
Tert-butyl methyl ether |
0.741 |
Cyclohexane |
0.779 |
Tert-butyl alcohol |
0.781 |
Isopropanol |
0.785 |
Acetonitrile |
0.786 |
Ethanol |
0.789 |
Acetone |
0.790 |
Methanol |
0.791 |
Methyl isobutyl ketone |
0.798 |
Isobutyl alcohol |
0.802 |
1-Propanol |
0.803 |
Methyl ethyl ketone |
0.805 |
2-Butanol |
0.808 |
Isoamyl alcohol |
0.809 |
1-Butanol |
0.810 |
Diethyl ketone |
0.814 |
1-Octanol |
0.826 |
p-Xylene |
0.861 |
m-Xylene |
0.864 |
Toluene |
0.867 |
Dimethoxyethane |
0.868 |
Benzene |
0.879 |
Butyl acetate |
0.882 |
1-Chlorobutane |
0.886 |
Tetrahydrofuran |
0.889 |
Ethyl acetate |
0.895 |
o-Xylene |
0.897 |
Hexamethylphosphorus triamide |
0.898 |
2-Ethoxyethyl ether |
0.909 |
N,N-Dimethylacetamide |
0.937 |
Diethylene glycol dimethyl ether |
0.943 |
N,N-Dimethylformamide |
0.944 |
2-Methoxyethanol |
0.965 |
Pyridine |
0.982 |
Propanoic acid |
0.993 |
Water |
1.000 |
2-Methoxyethyl acetate |
1.009 |
Benzonitrile |
1.01 |
1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinone |
1.028 |
Hexamethylphosphoramide |
1.03 |
1,4-Dioxane |
1.033 |
Acetic acid |
1.049 |
Acetic anhydride |
1.08 |
Dimethyl sulfoxide |
1.092 |
Chlorobenzene |
1.1066 |
Deuterium oxide |
1.107 |
Ethylene glycol |
1.115 |
Diethylene glycol |
1.118 |
Propylene carbonate |
1.21 |
Formic acid |
1.22 |
1,2-Dichloroethane |
1.245 |
Glycerin |
1.261 |
Carbon disulfide |
1.263 |
1,2-Dichlorobenzene |
1.306 |
Methylene chloride |
1.325 |
Nitromethane |
1.382 |
2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol |
1.393 |
Chloroform |
1.498 |
1,1,2-Trichlorotrifluoroethane |
1.575 |
Carbon tetrachloride |
1.594 |
Tetrachloroethylene |
1.623 |
Ability of a substance to dissolve another substance is determined by compatibility of their molecular structures (like dissolves like).
Types of Molecular Structures of The Solvents are as follows:
§ Polar protic solvents
A polar protic molecule consists of a polar group OH
and a non-polar tail. The structure may be represented by a formula R-OH. Polar
protic solvents dissolve other substances with polar protic molecular
structure. Polar protic solvents are miscible with water (hydrophilic).
Examples of polar protic solvents: water (H-OH), acetic acid (CH3CO-OH)methanol
(CH3-OH), ethanol (CH3CH2-OH), n-propanol (CH3CH2CH2-OH),
n-butanol (CH3CH2CH2CH2-OH).
§ Dipolar aprotic solvents
Dipolar aprotic molecules possess a large bond dipole moment (a measure of polarity of a molecule
chemical bond). They do not contain OH group.
Examples of dipolar aprotic solvents: acetone ( (CH3)2C=O
), ethyl acetate (CH3CO2CH2CH3),
dimethyl sulfoxide ( (CH3)2SO ), acetonitrile (CH3CN),
dimethyl formamide ( (CH3)2NC(O)H ).
§ Non-polar solvents
Electric charge in the molecules of non-polar solvents
is evenly distributed, therefore the molecules have low dielectric constant. Non-polar
solvents are hydrophobic (immiscible with water). Non-polar solvents are
liphophilic as they dissolve non-polar substances such as oils,fats, greases.
Examples of non-polar solvents: carbon tetrachloride (CCl4),
benzene (C6H6), and diethyl ether (CH3CH2OCH2CH3),
hexane (CH3(CH2)4CH3), methylene chloride (CH2Cl2).
Solvent |
Formula |
MW |
Boiling point |
Melting point |
Density |
Solubility |
Dielectric |
Flash |
acetic acid |
C2H4O2 |
60.052 |
118 |
16.6 |
1.0446 |
Miscible |
6.20 |
39 |
acetone |
C3H6O |
58.079 |
56.05 |
-94.7 |
0.7845 |
Miscible |
21.01 |
-20 |
acetonitrile |
C2H3N |
41.052 |
81.65 |
-43.8 |
0.7857 |
Miscible |
36.64 |
6 |
benzene |
C6H6 |
78.11 |
80.1 |
5.5 |
0.8765 |
0.18 |
2.28 |
-11 |
1-butanol |
C4H10O |
74.12 |
117.7 |
-88.6 |
0.8095 |
6.3 |
17.8 |
37 |
2-butanol |
C4H10O |
74.12 |
99.5 |
-88.5 |
0.8063 |
15 |
17.26 |
24 |
2-butanone |
C4H8O |
72.11 |
79.6 |
-86.6 |
0.7999 |
25.6 |
18.6 |
-9 |
t-butyl alcohol |
C4H10O |
74.12 |
82.4 |
25.7 |
0.7887 |
Miscible |
12.5 |
11 |
carbon tetrachloride |
CCl4 |
153.82 |
76.8 |
-22.6 |
1.594 |
0.08 |
2.24 |
-- |
chlorobenzene |
C6H5Cl |
112.56 |
131.7 |
-45.3 |
1.1058 |
0.05 |
5.69 |
28 |
chloroform |
CHCl3 |
119.38 |
61.2 |
-63.4 |
1.4788 |
0.795 |
4.81 |
-- |
cyclohexane |
C6H12 |
84.16 |
80.7 |
6.6 |
0.7739 |
<0.1 |
2.02 |
-20 |
1,2-dichloroethane |
C2H4Cl2 |
98.96 |
83.5 |
-35.7 |
1.245 |
0.861 |
10.42 |
13 |
diethylene glycol |
C4H10O3 |
106.12 |
246 |
-10 |
1.1197 |
10 |
31.8 |
124 |
diethyl ether |
C4H10O |
74.12 |
34.5 |
-116.2 |
0.713 |
7.5 |
4.267 |
-45 |
diglyme (diethylene glycol |
C6H14O3 |
134.17 |
162 |
-68 |
0.943 |
Miscible |
7.23 |
67 |
1,2-dimethoxy- ethane (glyme, DME) |
C4H10O2 |
90.12 |
84.5 |
-69.2 |
0.8637 |
Miscible |
7.3 |
-2 |
dimethyl- |
C3H7NO |
73.09 |
153 |
-60.48 |
0.9445 |
Miscible |
38.25 |
58 |
dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) |
C2H6OS |
78.13 |
189 |
18.4 |
1.092 |
25.3 |
47 |
95 |
1,4-dioxane |
C4H8O2 |
88.11 |
101.1 |
11.8 |
1.033 |
Miscible |
2.21(25) |
12 |
ethanol |
C2H6O |
46.07 |
78.5 |
-114.1 |
0.789 |
Miscible |
24.6 |
13 |
ethyl acetate |
C4H8O2 |
88.11 |
77 |
-83.6 |
0.895 |
8.7 |
6(25) |
-4 |
ethylene glycol |
C2H6O2 |
62.07 |
195 |
-13 |
1.115 |
Miscible |
37.7 |
111 |
glycerin |
C3H8O3 |
92.09 |
290 |
17.8 |
1.261 |
Miscible |
42.5 |
160 |
heptane |
C7H16 |
100.20 |
98 |
-90.6 |
0.684 |
0.01 |
1.92 |
-4 |
Hexamethylphosphoramide |
C6H18N3OP |
179.20 |
232.5 |
7.2 |
1.03 |
Miscible |
31.3 |
105 |
Hexamethylphosphorous |
C6H18N3P |
163.20 |
150 |
-44 |
0.898 |
Miscible |
?? |
26 |
hexane |
C6H14 |
86.18 |
69 |
-95 |
0.659 |
0.014 |
1.89 |
-22 |
methanol |
CH4O |
32.04 |
64.6 |
-98 |
0.791 |
Miscible |
32.6(25) |
12 |
methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) |
C5H12O |
88.15 |
55.2 |
-109 |
0.741 |
5.1 |
?? |
-28 |
methylene chloride |
CH2Cl2 |
84.93 |
39.8 |
-96.7 |
1.326 |
1.32 |
9.08 |
1.6 |
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) |
CH5H9NO |
99.13 |
202 |
-24 |
1.033 |
10 |
32 |
91 |
nitromethane |
CH3NO2 |
61.04 |
101.2 |
-29 |
1.382 |
9.50 |
35.9 |
35 |
pentane |
C5H12 |
72.15 |
36.1 |
-129.7 |
0.626 |
0.04 |
1.84 |
-49 |
Petroleum ether (ligroine) |
-- |
-- |
30-60 |
-40 |
0.656 |
-- |
-- |
-30 |
1-propanol |
C3H8O |
88.15 |
97 |
-126 |
0.803 |
Miscible |
20.1(25) |
15 |
2-propanol |
C3H8O |
88.15 |
82.4 |
-88.5 |
0.785 |
Miscible |
18.3(25) |
12 |
pyridine |
C5H5N |
79.10 |
115.2 |
-41.6 |
0.982 |
Miscible |
12.3(25) |
17 |
tetrahydrofuran (THF) |
C4H8O |
72.106 |
65 |
-108.4 |
0.8833 |
30 |
7.52 |
-14 |
toluene |
C7H8 |
92.14 |
110.6 |
-93 |
0.867 |
0.05 |
2.38(25) |
4 |
triethyl amine |
C6H15N |
101.19 |
88.9 |
-114.7 |
0.728 |
0.02 |
2.4 |
-11 |
water |
H2O |
18.02 |
100.00 |
0.00 |
0.998 |
-- |
78.54 |
-- |
water, heavy |
D2O |
20.03 |
101.3 |
4 |
1.107 |
Miscible |
?? |
-- |
o-xylene |
C8H10 |
106.17 |
144 |
-25.2 |
0.897 |
Insoluble |
2.57 |
32 |
m-xylene |
C8H10 |
106.17 |
139.1 |
-47.8 |
0.868 |
Insoluble |
2.37 |
27 |
p-xylene |
C8H10 |
106.17 |
138.4 |
13.3 |
0.861 |
Insoluble |
2.27 |
27 |
Choosing Solvent for Recrystallization:
The most common method of purifying solid organic compounds is by recrystallization. In this technique, an impure solid compound is dissolved in a solvent and then allowed to slowly crystallize out as the solution cools. As the compound crystallizes from the solution, the molecules of the other compounds dissolved in solution are excluded from the growing crystal lattice, giving a pure solid.
Crystallization of a solid is not the same as precipitation of a solid. In crystallization, there is a slow, selective formation of the crystal framework resulting in a pure compound. In precipitation, there is a rapid formation of a solid from a solution that usually produces an amorphous solid containing many trapped impurities within the solid's crystal framework. For this reason, experimental procedures that produce a solid product by precipitation always include a final recrystallization step to give the pure compound.
The process of recrystallization relies on the property that for most compounds, as the temperature of a solvent increases, the solubility of the compound in that solvent also increases. For example, much more table sugar can be dissolved in very hot water (just below the boiling point) than in water at room temperature. What will happen if a concentrated solution of hot water and sugar is allowed to cool to room temperature? As the temperature of the solution decreases, the solubility of the sugar in the water also decreases, and the sugar molecules will begin to crystallize out of the solution. (This is how rock candy is made.) This is the basic process that goes on in the recrystallization of a solid.
1. Find a suitable solvent for the recrystallization;
2. Dissolve the impure solid in a minimum volume of hot solvent;
3. Remove any insoluble impurities by filtration;
4. Slowly cool the hot solution to crystallize the desired compound from the solution;
5. Filter the solution to isolate the purified solid compound.
The first consideration in purifying a solid by recrystallization is to find a suitable solvent. There are four important properties that you should look for in a good solvent for recrystallization.
1. The compound should be very soluble at the boiling point of the solvent and only sparingly soluble in the solvent at room temperature. This difference in solubility at hot versus cold temperatures is essential for the recrystallization process. If the compound is insoluble in the chosen solvent at high temperatures, then it will not dissolve. If the compound is very soluble in the solvent at room temperature, then getting the compound to crystallize in pure form from solution is difficult. For example, water is an excellent solvent for the recrystallization of benzoic acid. At 10°C only 2.1 g of benzoic acid dissolves in 1 liter of water, while at 95 °C the solubility is 68 g/L.
2. The unwanted impurities should be either very soluble in the solvent at room temperature or insoluble in the hot solvent. This way, after the impure solid is dissolved in the hot solvent, any undissolved impurities can be removed by filtration. After the solution cools and the desired compound crystallizes out, any remaining soluble impurities will remain dissolved in the solvent.
3. The solvent should not react with the compound being purified. The desired compound may be lost during recrystallization if the solvent reacts with the compound.
4. The solvent should be volatile enough to be easily removed from the solvent after the compound has crystallized. This allows for easy and rapid drying of the solid compound after it has been isolated from the solution.
Finding a solvent with the desired properties is a search done by trial and error. First, test the solubility of tiny samples of the compound in test tubes with a variety of different solvents (water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, hexane, toluene, etc.) at room temperature. If the compound dissolves in the solvent at room temperature, then that solvent is unsuitable for recrystallization. If the compound is insoluble in the solvent at room temperature, then the mixture is heated to the solvent's boiling point to determine if the solid will dissolve at high temperature, and then cooled to see whether it crystallizes from the solution at room temperature.
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Received on 05.08.2016 Modified on 20.08.2016
Accepted on 19.09.2016 © AJRC All right reserved
Asian J. Research Chem. 2016; 9(9): 445-453.
DOI: 10.5958/0974-4150.2016.00067.5