Thin Layer Chromatography Lab Report

Through our collected final data, we were able to assume that we performed the synthesis procedure correctly. By first using thin layer chromatography (TLC), we ran three spots on the TLC plate: one spot of our recovered product, one spot of pure triphenylmethanol mixed with our recovered product, and one spot of solely pure triphenylmethanol. The calculated Rf values for each spot, respectively, were 0.6471, 0.6529, and 0.6617. While these numbers are slightly different and since all of the spots were at almost identical locations on the TLC plate, we can confirm that the composition of our final product was triphenylmethanol. In addition, all three of the spots on the TLC plate were similar in size and shape, indicating that our final
compound was relatively pure. By determining the melting point range of our final product using a Mel-Temp Apparatus, this also helped us be more confident in our results. Our measured melting point range was 161-163°C, and the known boiling point of triphenylmethanol is 162°C. Since the known value of triphenylmethanol falls within our measured melting point range, we can further conclude that our recovered product was triphenylmethanol. Lastly, our percent yield of triphenylmethanol was calculated to be 30.1%. Were were able to calculate this percentage through dimensional analysis. Since methyl benzoate was the limiting reagent in this particular scenario, we were able to calculate the percentage of the reaction’s efficiency.