1. General

You will have to start the experiment in the lab first before you go to the computer lab, The reaction will take about 60-90 minutes and does not need to be supervised. During this time, you can work on the molecular modeling assignment.


2. Experiment

Safety notes: Bleach causes stains on your clothes. Avoid any spills on your clothes. Do not acidify bleach solutions. Why? Ethyl acetate is flammable. It might catch fire if you spill it on the hot plate. Be careful when you evaporate off the solvent. Don’t forget to add a boiling stick to prevent it from bumping.

Make sure that the separatory funnel is working fine. In some cases the stopcock is leaking or the stopper on top does not fit. If this is the case, ask your teaching assistant for help. S/he will demonstrate how to use the separatory funnel.

For the column chromatography, it is very important that you pack the column well. If you have cracks or air bubbles in your column, you will have a poorer separation. Why?

Place your final product in a vial, label it and keep it in your desk. It will be the starting material for the Aldol reaction later on the quarter.


3. Things to think about

a. How can you verify that you have an excess of oxidative reagent?

b. What is the advantage of a PTC reaction?

c. Which properties does a solvent have to have in order to be a ‘good solvent’ for recrystallization?

d .Why is column chromatography used in this experiment?