The objective of Experiment one (both Week one and two) was the separation and examination of Ethanol from complex mixtures using solvent-solvent extraction and chromatography. Week one involved retrieving the concentration of Ethanol and the partition coefficient from standard solutions utilizing the calibration method. Week two was centered on the use of a standard addition method to find Ethanol concentrations in beer samples. Overall, the experiment addressed the issues associated with isolating compounds from complex mixtures.
Solvent extraction is important for the separation, recovery, and purification of individual elements from compounds. The process has many different applications to the medical field and a wide range of global …show more content…
Discussion
The data returned results that followed the expected process of solvent-solvent extraction using gas chromatography. The goal of the experiment was met as the concentrations of Ethanol increased in correlation to the amount extracted and percent present. There was a linear increase in moles present from the peak areas of the chromatogram as the alcohol concentration increased.
A pressing factor that contributed to the accuracy of the results was solution volume. In order to conclude precise data over a small range, the volumes had to remain relatively constant. The most prominent source of error related to the amount of Ethanol in each solution. Because Ethanol is a volatile element, evaporation of the substance would alter the volume of a solution if exposed to air long enough. This could have caused a flaw in the chromatogram and overall Ethanol concentration.
V. Experimental Questions
1. Why did you have to do an extraction on the beer samples in week 2? Could you have just injected the beer directly into the GC, why or why not? When performing the extraction you had to add NaCl, why is this …show more content…
The Ethanol sample is a gas after entering the detector because the high temperature turns the liquid into a vapor. When the sample is injected into the detector, conductivity is lowered and measurable because the voltage was altered. Helium, the carrier gas, has a high thermal conductivity so the addition of new gas by change of heat is easily detected. The advantage of using a TCD is the universal nature responding to many inorganic/organic compounds. A disadvantage is that the detector can be too sensitive to changes in flow rate, altering
Solvent extraction is important for the separation, recovery, and purification of individual elements from compounds. The process has many different applications to the medical field and a wide range of global …show more content…
Discussion
The data returned results that followed the expected process of solvent-solvent extraction using gas chromatography. The goal of the experiment was met as the concentrations of Ethanol increased in correlation to the amount extracted and percent present. There was a linear increase in moles present from the peak areas of the chromatogram as the alcohol concentration increased.
A pressing factor that contributed to the accuracy of the results was solution volume. In order to conclude precise data over a small range, the volumes had to remain relatively constant. The most prominent source of error related to the amount of Ethanol in each solution. Because Ethanol is a volatile element, evaporation of the substance would alter the volume of a solution if exposed to air long enough. This could have caused a flaw in the chromatogram and overall Ethanol concentration.
V. Experimental Questions
1. Why did you have to do an extraction on the beer samples in week 2? Could you have just injected the beer directly into the GC, why or why not? When performing the extraction you had to add NaCl, why is this …show more content…
The Ethanol sample is a gas after entering the detector because the high temperature turns the liquid into a vapor. When the sample is injected into the detector, conductivity is lowered and measurable because the voltage was altered. Helium, the carrier gas, has a high thermal conductivity so the addition of new gas by change of heat is easily detected. The advantage of using a TCD is the universal nature responding to many inorganic/organic compounds. A disadvantage is that the detector can be too sensitive to changes in flow rate, altering