Materials Needed:
- Steam Distillation Kit
- Thermometer
- Thermowell heater
- 25 mL round bottom flask
- 50 mL round bottom flask (receiver)
- 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask
- Büchner funnel
- Aspirator
- 500 mL Suction flask
- 1 Filter paper
- 1 Boiling chip
- 15 mL Benzaldehyde
- .4 g sodium hydroxide (2 pellets)
- 2 mL 95% ethanol
- 10 mL 95% ethanol (chilled)
- .3 mL acetone
Procedure:
- Arranged Steam Distillation Kit with 50 mL round bottom flask as the receiver.
- Mixed 15 mL of benzaldehyde and 1 boiling chip in a 25 mL round bottom flask.
- Began Distillation.
- Temperature rose to 210°C when distillation ended.
- After it cooled, we collected about .8 g of distilled Benzaldehyde and mixed it with .3 mL of acetone, .4 g of sodium hydroxide (2 pellets) and 2 mL of 95% ethanol in a 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask.
- Swirled for about 15 minutes until solution become yellow and mushy.
- Chilled 10 mL of 95% ethanol.
- Assembled aspirator with 500 mL suction flask.
- Condensation began.
- Put filter paper in the Büchner funnel and poured water over it to make sure the vacuum was working properly.
- After that, poured yellow, mushy solution over the filter paper and let it set for a couple of seconds.
- Then we took the chilled 10 mL of 95% ethanol and distributed evenly on top of the filter paper.
- Waited a couple of more seconds until solution made crystals.
- After condensation, we scraped the yellow crystals off of the filter paper and placed them on a glass plate.
- Ready for weighing next week.
Observations:
- While distilling, solution gave off an almond aroma.
- Temperature rose to 210°C when distillation ended.
- The mixture of the acetone, ethanol, sodium hydroxide, and distilled benzaldehyde became yellow and mushy.
- After everything was poured over the filter paper, the remainder (the bottom of the suction flask) appeared foggy.
- The rest of the solution on top of the filter paper took the form of yellow crystals.