Results

i. Colour of the aspirin prepared: White

ii. The shape of the aspirin prepared: Powder
iii. The melting point of the crude and pure aspirin.
a. Crude aspirin: 89.0ºC - 90.0ºC
b. Pure aspirin: 124.0 ºC -128.0ºC
iv. Determine the percentage yield of the product.

Weight of crude Salicylic acid used: 5.0018 g

Weight of evaporating petri dish: 75.5471g

Weight of evaporating petri dish + salt: 87.9900g
Weight of crude aspirin: 12.4429g

I ignore the weight of watch glass, add the weight of the salt in watch glass
into the weight of evaporating petri dish + crystal…..

Volume of solvent used for recrystallization: 25.0 ml

Weight of watch glass + filter paper: 24.4040g

Weight of watch glass + filter paper + crystal: 28.0175g
Weight of pure aspirin: 3.6135g

1 mole of salicylic acid reacts with 1 mole of acetic anhydride to produce 1 mole of
aspirin.

Mass of Salicylic acid

No. of moles of salicylic acid =
Molecular weight of salicylic acid

5.0018 g
=
138.0 g /mol

= 0.03624 mol

Mass of acetic anhydride, g

= (Volume of acetic anhydride, ml) × (Density of acetic anhydride, g/ml)

= 10 ml × (1.08 g / 1.0 mL)

= 10.8 g
So, the no. of moles of acetic anhydride = 10.8 g / 102.0

= 0.106 mol

Thus, salicylic acid is the limiting reactant.

Theoretical yield of aspirin, g

= (No. of moles of limiting reactant) × (Molecular weight of aspirin)

= 0.03624 mol × 180.0 g/mol

= 6.5232 g

6.5232 g – 3.6135 g
Percentage of error = × 100 %
6.5232 g

= 44.61 %

Actual yield of aspirin

Percentage yield = × 100 %
Theoretical yield of aspirin

3.6135 g
= 6.5232 g
× 100 %

= 55.39 %