In a Fischer esterification: How is the excess acetic acid removed from the reac

Question

In a Fischer esterification:
How is the excess acetic acid removed from the reaction mixtureprior to distillation?

In this experiment prior to distillation I will use:
Reaction mixture includes:
-Isopentyl alcohol, acetic acid, sulfuric acid silica gel beads(silica gel beads are used to absorb the water as it is generatedin the reaction).
-Heat 160-180 for 1hr
------------
-To extract crude organic product 5% sodium bicarbonatesolution
-water
-anhydrous sodium sulfate

I know that anhydrous sodium sulfate is used to remove any residualwater from the organic layer but I am not sure how I would removethe excess acetic acid.

Explanation / Answer

You are correct that the anhydrous sodium sulfate is used in the removal of the excess water. I belive that the sodium bicarbonate solution removes the ester product from the acetic acid due to its polarity. The common rule of "like dissolves like" highlights the fact that nonpolar molecules will dissolve into non polar solvents and polar molecules will dissolve into polar solvents. In this case, the non polar sodium bicarbonate solution is utilized to dissolve the ester (the crude product), separating it from the polar acetic acid, which would not dissolve in the nonpolar sodium bicarbonate. Thanks for the question!

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.