A student extracted the active ingredient from several analgesic over-the-counte

Question

A student extracted the active ingredient from several analgesic over-the-counter drugs to determine the composition of each one. Based on the label he tested all the drugs to see if they contain acetaminophen (ACE), aspirin (ASP) and caffeine (CAF). However, he forgot to label which spot corresponds to which drug. Shown below is the TLC plate the student obtained from his experiment after extraction from Anacin®, Tylenol®, Vivarin® and Excedrin® and using 2% acetic acid and 98% ethyl acetate as the mobile phase.

Q:Match the identity of the unknowns to the 4 listed OTC drugs (Anacin®, Tylenol®, Vivarin® and Excedrin®).

TLC Plate Start line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 OH ASP Aspirin HN ACE Acetaminophen Sample spots: 1. ACE 2. ASP 3. CAF 4, Unknown A 5. Unknown B 6. Unknown C 7. Unknown D CAF Caffeine

Explanation / Answer

Anacin contains Aspirin + Caffeine

Tylenol contains Acetaminophen only

Vivarin contains Caffeine only

Excedrin contains Acetaminophen + Aspirin + Caffeine

Order of polarity of the active ingredients:

CAF > ACE > ASP

Idenity of the unknowns:

4 --- Anacin

5 --- Tylenol

6--- Vivarin

7 --- Excedrin

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