来源:美国马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的 Lara Al Hariri 和 Ahmed Basabrain
根据化合物在溶剂中的溶解性差异,可通过萃取与过滤实现分离。在本实验中,您将利用纤维素、咖啡因和苯甲酸在二氯甲烷(DCM)和水中的不同溶解性,对这三种组分的混合物进行分离。
咖啡因和苯甲酸均可溶于二氯甲烷(DCM),而纤维素则不溶。因此,在本步骤中,您需先将混合物尽可能多地溶解于DCM中,并过滤除去不溶的纤维素。接下来的步骤将继续处理含有苯甲酸和咖啡因的溶液,而回收的纤维素在干燥后将称量其质量。
| 化合物 | 空容器(g) | 样品 + 容器(g) | 化合物回收量(g) | 回收质量 百分比 |
| 纤维素 | ||||
| 咖啡因 | ||||
| 苯甲酸 | - | - | ||
| 起始质量 混合物的质量(g) | 回收质量 混合物的质量(g) | - |
在本部分实验中,你将使用二氯甲烷(DCM)和水作为溶剂来分离苯甲酸和咖啡因。这对溶剂适用于液-液萃取,因为二氯甲烷与水互不相溶且密度不同。然而,咖啡因和苯甲酸在水中的溶解度均远低于在二氯甲烷中的溶解度。
为了分离这些化合物,您需要将苯甲酸和咖啡因的溶液与氢氧化钠混合,使苯甲酸转化为苯甲酸钠。苯甲酸钠具有很高的水溶性,而在二氯甲烷(DCM)中几乎不溶。咖啡因则基本不受影响。当混合液静置分层后,所有的苯甲酸钠都会存在于水相中,因其在DCM中不溶。
少量咖啡因会存在于水层中,但大部分将保留在二氯甲烷(DCM)层中。你需保留含苯甲酸钠的水层,用于实验的最后步骤,即通过蒸发有机层中的溶剂来回收固体咖啡因。
氢氧化钠具有腐蚀性,操作和转移时需小心。强碱可能导致分液漏斗的磨口接头和塞子等磨砂玻璃表面发生粘连,因此应始终通过长颈玻璃漏斗加入氢氧化钠,避免其接触磨砂玻璃部位。
在实验的最后部分,你将使用盐酸使苯甲酸根阴离子重新质子化。盐酸具有毒性和腐蚀性,操作时需小心。苯甲酸在水中的溶解度极低,因此大部分会从溶液中析出沉淀,可通过过滤收集。
| 化合物 | 起始质量 百分比 | 理论初始 质量(g) | 恢复 质量(g) | 产率百分比 |
| 纤维素 | 5 | |||
| 咖啡因 | 47.5 | |||
| 苯甲酸 | 47.5 | |||
| 起始质量 混合物的质量(g) | - | - |
| 错误 | 误差来源 |
| 纤维素质量很高,而其他化合物的质量较低 | 咖啡因和苯甲酸在实验开始时可能未完全溶解,而是残留在标记为纤维素的滤纸上。 |
| 苯甲酸的质量相较于回收的咖啡因较低 | 苯甲酸未完全转化为苯甲酸钠,导致二氯甲烷中残留咖啡因与苯甲酸的混合物。 |
| 咖啡因回收质量较低 | 因水洗造成的损失,尤其是当水相碱液温度较高时 |
| 苯甲酸回收质量较低 | 苯甲酸钠质子化不完全、溶液温度过高或沉淀过程受到扰动 |
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Q1: Why is dichloromethane used to dissolve the mixture in the cellulose recovery step?
Dichloromethane (DCM) selectively dissolves caffeine and benzoic acid while leaving cellulose insoluble. This solubility difference allows you to separate cellulose from the other compounds through filtration. The insoluble cellulose remains on the filter paper while the dissolved compounds pass through into the filtrate.
Q2: How does sodium hydroxide help separate benzoic acid from caffeine?
Sodium hydroxide converts benzoic acid into sodium benzoate, which is highly water-soluble and insoluble in DCM. This chemical transformation allows the aqueous and organic layers to separate, with sodium benzoate moving into the water layer while caffeine remains in the DCM layer, enabling effective separation of these two compounds.
Q3: What is the purpose of magnesium sulfate in the organic layer?
Magnesium sulfate acts as a drying agent to remove residual water from the organic layer containing caffeine. You add it until a portion remains white and powdery, indicating it has absorbed available moisture. This drying step ensures the purity of the recovered caffeine by removing water before evaporation.
Q4: Why is the aqueous solution chilled before adding hydrochloric acid?
Chilling the aqueous solution in an ice bath lowers the solubility of benzoic acid in water. When hydrochloric acid reprotonates the benzoate anion back to benzoic acid, the cold temperature promotes precipitation of the solid compound, making it easier to collect by filtration and improving recovery yield.
Q5: What does the pH paper measurement indicate during the reprotonation step?
The pH paper confirms that sufficient hydrochloric acid has been added to convert all sodium benzoate back to benzoic acid. The target pH range of 1–3 ensures complete reprotonation. If the pH is too high, benzoate remains in solution; if too low, excess acid contaminates the product.
Q6: How do you calculate the percent yield for each recovered compound?
Percent yield is calculated by dividing the recovered mass of each compound by its theoretical initial mass, then multiplying by 100. The theoretical mass is determined from the known composition of the mixture (5% cellulose, 47.5% caffeine, 47.5% benzoic acid) multiplied by your starting sample mass.
Q7: What does it mean if the sum of recovered compound masses exceeds the starting mixture mass?
If the total recovered mass is greater than the starting mass, one or more compounds retained residual moisture when weighed. You should reweigh the compounds after allowing them to dry completely. Accurate mass measurements require all solids to be completely dry to ensure valid percent yield calculations.