ATTN: answers to the below questions are due at the start of your second meeting (10/4 or 10/5); these answers should be part of your pre-lab write-up. There will be a quiz in lecture on Monday 10/10/2005. Please make sure that you arrive on time since the quiz will be administered in the beginning of the lecture.

1. Referring to step 2, answer the following questions:

a. Why sodium hydroxide added in the initial stage of the reaction?

b. The procedure asks to seal off the Erlenmeyer flask with parafilm. Why?

c. How much solvent should be used for the extraction of the product? Rationalize your choice.

d. After removing the solvent, some students will observe a viscous liquid for their crude products, while others will have a solid crude product. Explain why and how each of them will have to proceed.

e. Sketch the TLC plate (SiO₂, CH₂Cl₂/hexane (1:5)) with your product in lane 1, the starting phenol in lane 2 and the salicylaldehyde (product from step 3) in lane 3.

f. Sketch the plate using SiO₂ as stationary phase and a CH₂Cl₂/hexane (1:1) using the same definitions as in e.

2. Why does asymmetric synthesis play a very important role in the production of many pharmaceuticals?

3. Where is "DX" found?

4. Which advantages/disadvantages do enzymatic processes have when it comes to asymmetric synthesis?