Welcome to our Lab category, a haven for scientific exploration and experimentation. Step into the world of hands-on discovery where theory meets practice. Unleash your curiosity as we delve into laboratory techniques, equipment, safety protocols, and experimental procedures. From conducting chemical analyses to synthesizing compounds, this category provides valuable insights and resources to enhance your laboratory skills. Immerse yourself in the exciting realm of scientific investigation and unlock the wonders of the lab today.
Image taken by Angel Sánchez In this section, we describe a series of practices related to the reactivity of functional groups that are usually studied in an experimental course of Organic Chemistry. Most of the experiments described correspond to one-step transformations. In addition, others deal with the multistep synthesis of a compound and the study … Read more
Objective Use of fractional distillation for the purification of mixtures of liquid substances with close boiling points. Background Water and acetone are miscible so that the only way to separate them once mixed is by distillation. Fractional distillation is indicated when the difference in the boiling point of the liquids to be separated is approximately … Read more
In these experiments of basic laboratory operations, a series of procedures and manipulations are described in order to familiarize the student with the routine work of an organic chemistry laboratory. Image taken by Angel Sánchez Angel Sanchez Basic laboratory operations They can be defined as a series of basic procedures that are usually performed in … Read more
Objetives To produce a β-dicarbonyl compound, in this case 2-acetylcyclohexanone from cyclohexanone, using an enamine as a synthetic intermediate. Background Organometallic compounds and carbanions are not the only species used in organic synthesis with nucleophilic carbon atoms. The carbon in the β-position of an enamine has a nucleophilic character and can be alkylated or acylated … Read more
Objective The purpose of this experiment is to obtain alkenes from phosphonium salts and carbonyl compounds by means of the Wittig reaction. Background The Wittig reaction is named after its discoverer Georg Wittig (Nobel Prize winner in 1979) and consists of obtaining alkenes from phosphonium salts and carbonyl compounds. The carbon-carbon double bond C=C is … Read more
Objective Extract photosynthetic pigments and separate them by a simple column chromatography (CC) and thin layer chromatography (TLC) techniques. Background Spinach leaves contain a variety of pigments that are important for the plant’s survival. These pigments play a crucial role in the process of photosynthesis. There are several different types of pigments (natural products) present … Read more
Objective Learn how different organic compounds can be isolated according to their acid-base properties, which change their solubility in organic and aqueous solvents, by liquid-liquid extraction. Background The liquid-liquid extraction is one of the most common basic operations in the organic chemistry laboratory, as many reactions involve the use of this technique for product isolation. … Read more
What is an azeotrope? An azeotrope is a mixture of two or more components whose proportions are such that the vapor produced by partial evaporation has the same composition as the liquid. Therefore, they behave in distillation as if they were a pure compound (see Table 1). When a mixture is at the azeotropic point … Read more
Objective The purpose of this experiment is to obtain an azo dye, methyl orange, by the copulation reaction of a diazonium salt. Background Each type of amine generates a different product when reacting with nitrous acid, HNO2. Unstable reagent formed in situ in the presence of the amine by the action of a mineral acid on … Read more
Objective The purpose of this experiment is to carry out a modification of the haloform reaction, using everyday oxidizing chemical reagents such as bleach (sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl). Background The haloform reaction is characteristic of compounds that have a methyl group (CH3) adjacent to a carbonyl group (C=O). Families of molecules with this type of functional … Read more
