Purifying Acetanilide by Recrystallization. The purpose of this experiment is to select a suitable recrystallizing solvent, to be able to purify and separate acetanilide from a mixture by process of recrystallization, and to compare melting points of recr

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Purifying Acetanilide by Recrystallization

Prelab

The purpose of this experiment is to select a suitable recrystallizing solvent, to be able to purify and separate acetanilide from a mixture by process of recrystallization, and to compare melting points of recrystallized and impure acetanilide. It would be beneficial to have prior understanding of how to measure mass in mg, volume in ml, and to measure melting points.

Organic compounds that are synthesized in labs or isolated from natural recourses often have been tainted by impurities. Recrystallization is a process that removes these impurities from solid organic compounds that are at room temperature. This process is built on the principle that the solubility of a compound increases with temperature and decreases as it cools down, into its crystal form.

Very pure compounds can be made by recrystallization. A small pure seed crystal of the compound forms in the solution as it cools down after being heated. Additional molecules are attached to the crystal in uniform layers, forming a growing crystal lattice. Crystal molecules have a higher affinity for the same kind of molecules than impurities. This process of crystallizing removes one kind of molecule from the solution.