Qualitative Analytical Chemistry Into Objective
Introduction:
Dealing with chemicals is an essential part of a chemical engineer’s job. It is therefore crucial to be able to accurately identify the composition of a chemical to be able to work with it. Indeed, different species have different physical and chemical properties which dictate their uses and applications. Furthermore, this kind of analysis is important in quality control since the detection of unwanted chemicals may lead to the rejection of a product for example. In addition to qualitative identification, quantitative analysis can be performed to determine the quantity and concentration of chemicals. This is arguably as important since it is essential in order to do any kind of quantitative calculations. Furthermore, determining concentration is crucial since it directly affects safety and protection measures for hazardous chemicals. These two types of analyses are collectively known as analytical chemistry and a basic understanding of it is important for any professional handling and dealing with chemicals.
Objective:
The objective of this lab is to introduce the participating students to qualitative analytical chemistry. The group will be given an unknown pure organic liquid sample and will need to perform a series of tests in order to identify the species in question. The tests being: determining the boiling point using two methods (distillation and capillary tube), determining the refractive index, and obtaining UV/VIS and FT-IR absorption spectra. After the results from the various tests are obtained, the boiling point and refractive index should be compared to literature data while the absorption spectra should be analyzed. Finally, this should allow the group to accurately identify the nature of the chemical species that constituted the sample.
Look and Smell:
The first observable property of a liquid is its color. The compound to be analyzed was colorless which corresponds to a very wide range of organic liquids and doesn’t really
Dealing with chemicals is an essential part of a chemical engineer’s job. It is therefore crucial to be able to accurately identify the composition of a chemical to be able to work with it. Indeed, different species have different physical and chemical properties which dictate their uses and applications. Furthermore, this kind of analysis is important in quality control since the detection of unwanted chemicals may lead to the rejection of a product for example. In addition to qualitative identification, quantitative analysis can be performed to determine the quantity and concentration of chemicals. This is arguably as important since it is essential in order to do any kind of quantitative calculations. Furthermore, determining concentration is crucial since it directly affects safety and protection measures for hazardous chemicals. These two types of analyses are collectively known as analytical chemistry and a basic understanding of it is important for any professional handling and dealing with chemicals.
Objective:
The objective of this lab is to introduce the participating students to qualitative analytical chemistry. The group will be given an unknown pure organic liquid sample and will need to perform a series of tests in order to identify the species in question. The tests being: determining the boiling point using two methods (distillation and capillary tube), determining the refractive index, and obtaining UV/VIS and FT-IR absorption spectra. After the results from the various tests are obtained, the boiling point and refractive index should be compared to literature data while the absorption spectra should be analyzed. Finally, this should allow the group to accurately identify the nature of the chemical species that constituted the sample.
Look and Smell:
The first observable property of a liquid is its color. The compound to be analyzed was colorless which corresponds to a very wide range of organic liquids and doesn’t really
References: 1-http://macro.lsu.edu/HowTo/solvents/Refractive%20Index.htm