When you finished extracting your natural product, you had used a total of 10 mL

Question

When you finished extracting your natural product, you had used a total of 10 mL of 50:50 acetone/hexane. After your first wash with 5 mL saturated, aqueous sodium chloride solution, the bottom layer was larger than the top layer.

Q1: What solvent(s)/solution(s) were present in the top layer of the separatory funnel? If your product is in this layer, please say so.

Q2: What solvent(s)/solution(s) were present in the bottom layer of the separatory funnel? If your product is in this layer, please say so.

Q3: Explain why the bottom layer was larger than the top layer in the separatory funnel.

Explanation / Answer

Hi you have not mentioned the name of your extracted natural product, but in general most of the natural products are water in soluble like chlorophyll and carotenoids are usually extracted with organic solvents, whereas caffeine is water soluble. Water-soluble pigments such as carminic acid and anthocyanins are in general extracted with water or lower alcohols.

I assume your natural product is water soluble. Hence it will also soluble in polar solvents like acetone, ethyl acetate, lower alcohols.

Q1: What solvent(s)/solution(s) were present in the top layer of the separatory funnel? If your product is in this layer, please say so.

Answer: Hexane is in top layer because it has lesser density than water (aqueous sodium chloride solution).

Q2: What solvent(s)/solution(s) were present in the bottom layer of the separatory funnel? If your product is in this layer, please say so.

Answer: aqueous sodium chloride solution and acetone mixture. The product is in bottom layer.

Q3: Explain why the bottom layer was larger than the top layer in the separatory funnel.

Answer: Because acetone is soluble in water layer (aqueous sodium chloride solution), hence the 5 mL of acetone from 10 mL of 50:50 acetone/hexane mixture is dissolved in 5 mL of saturated, aqueous sodium chloride solution to make it 10 mL of aqueous layer, making this layer as larger than the top layer in the separatory funnel.

Hope this helped you!

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