Acetylsalicylic Acid Post Lab Questions

1. What is the purpose of the concentrated phosphoric acid used in the first
step?

2. What would happen if the phosphoric acid were left out?

3. If you used 250 mg of salicylic acid and excess acetic anhydride in the
preceding synthesis of aspirin, what would be the theoretical yield of
acetylsalicylic acid in moles? In milligrams? SHOW YOUR WORK.

4. Why is the use of a magnetic stir bar or spin vane important?

5. What is the best type of stirring device to use for stirring a reaction that takes
place in a
a. a conical vial?

_______________________________

b. a 10 mL round bottom flask? ____________________________________

6. Vacuum filtration is used when the volume of liquid being filtered is more
than______________________________________.

7. Why should cold water be used to remove the last traces of your product
from the conical vial?

8. With our glassware kits, is the use of joint grease necessary?

9. What makes the joint between the air condenser and the conical vial airtight?

10.What is the purpose of the air condenser in this experiment?