Tasheika Richards 6AS

LAB #: 11

DATE: March 10, 2020

TITLE: Steam Distillation

AIM: To extract eugenol from clove powder using steam distillation

APPARATUS/MATERIALS: cloves, mortar and pestle, beaker, round bottom flasks, retort
stand, rubber bungs, tripod stand, thermometer, balance, delivery tube, condenser, conical flask,
wire gauze.

METHOD:

1. The cloves were crushed with a mortar and pestle.

2. 3g of clove powder was weighed and placed in a round bottom flask then water was added.
3. 150 ml of water was placed in a separate round bottom flask.
4. The apparatus was set up as shown in the diagram above and the distillate was collected.

DIAGRAM:

OBSERVATION:

As the water in the round-bottomed flask is heated steam rises from it. This steam then travelled
to the distillation flask via the capillary tube. When this happened, the solution of crushed
clovers slowly began to boil and water vapour began to rise into the condenser. The water vapour
in the condenser was then liquefied and ran into the collecting flask. The distillate was separated
Tasheika Richards 6AS

into two distinct layers- clear pale-yellow oil suspended on the top of the water, whilst the water
was the first layer that was collected.

DISCUSSION:

Steam distillation is a technique that has a significant commercial application. It is commonly

used to extract essential oils from natural product. It is an ideal way to separate organic
compounds which tend to decompose before reaching their boiling temperatures. It is for this
reason why steam distillation was used to extract eugenol from clove powder. Steam
distillation is a separation process which consists in distilling water together with
other volatile and non-volatile components. The steam from the boiling water carries the vapor
of the volatiles to a condenser, where both are cooled and return to the liquid or solid state; while
the non-volatile residues remain behind in the boiling container.

Steam distillation is achieved when a mixture of two immiscible liquids (e.g., water and
organics) is heated and agitated; the surface of each liquid exerts its own vapor pressure as
though the other component of the mixture was absent. Thus, the vapor pressure of the system
increases as a function of temperature beyond what it would be if only one of the components
was present. When the sum of the vapor pressures exceeds atmospheric pressure, boiling begins.
Because the temperature of boiling is reduced, damage to heat-sensitive components is
minimized. If the volatiles are liquids not miscible with water, they will spontaneously form a
distinct phase after condensation, allowing them to be separated by decantation or with
a separator. In that case, a Clevenger apparatus may be used to return the condensed water to the
boiling flask, while the distillation is in progress. Alternatively, the condensed mixture can be
processed with fractional distillation or some other separation technique.

Steam distillation can be used when the boiling point of the substance to be extracted is higher
than that of water, and the starting material cannot be heated to that temperature because
of decomposition or other unwanted reactions. It may also be useful when the amount of the
desired substance is small compared to that of the non-volatile residues. It is often use to separate
volatile essential oils from plant material. It is also used for "steam stripping" in petroleum
refineries and to separate commercially important organic compounds, such as fatty acids.

At the beginning of the experiment, the water in the round bottom flask began to boil, this
boiling of the water caused steam to rise. This steam was introduced into distillation apparatus.
As the heat from the steam passes through the mixture of crushed cloves and water being that it
is hot enough causes the solution to boil at a temperature less than100° C .Consequently, the
solution began to vaporized and the vapours rose into the condenser. The condenser has a source
of cool water attached to it which causes the solution to liquify. The distillate was separated into
two distinct layers- a clear pale-yellow layer and water. The clear pale-yellow layer was
identified as the eugenol oil; this is because it is less dense than the water so it was suspended on
the water surface. It was observed that water was the first substance to be collected as it has a
lower boiling point than the oil hence from this it can be said that the water is the more volatile
than the oil.
Tasheika Richards 6AS

SOURCES OF ERROR:

The thermometer was placed too high which led to a low value for boiling point.
The apparatus was inadequately clamped which could allowed the sample to be less hence
inaccurate judging may be made.

PRECAUTIONS:

Ensure the Bunsen burner is lit properly and the gas is turned off after use
Ensure all the components are set up accurately and with care.
Ensure the right proportion of the samples are measure out accurately
Ensure the clove is crushed properly in order for the separation process to occur

ASSUMPTIONS:

The oil is less volatile hence it will suspend on the water which is more volatile
It oil must be stable and relatively insoluble in boiling water
The oil must have a vapor pressure in boiling water that is of the order of 1 kPa (0.01)
atmosphere.
The temperature of the water will cool at slower pace since it has a greater heat capacity
which allows the heat to be released slowly comparing to the oil

CONCLUSION:

Eugenol was successfully extracted from clove powder using steam distillation; the oil was
suspended on the surface of the water at the end of the steam distillation process.