ABSTRACT

The goal of this experiment is to find out how the amount of solvent in a partially miscible
mixture affects its solubility when heated and how wherein the quality of the binary mixture
exists at a specific temperature. This was conducted via dropwise addition of water to a
binary mixture of 80% phenol solution and heating the mixture until the 2 components
became soluble with each other. As seen from our experimental data, it has been observed
that an increase of temperature makes the partially miscible system become a homogeneous
mixture when a certain temperature is reached. It is also observed that the lower the
concentration of the partially miscible system, the less heat it required to make the system
homogeneous. This is now known as the critical temperature of the solution.

INTRODUCTION

Pouring 10 mL of olive oil into 10 mL of water results in two distinct layers, clearly
separated by a curved meniscus. Each layer has the same volume and essentially the same
composition as the original liquids. Without mixing, the solution will be called immiscible.

Pouring grain alcohol into water results in a single liquid phase. Without even mixing, these
two components become homogeneous with each other, thus being miscible with each other.
Nearly any pair of liquids is miscible if only a trace amount of one of the liquids is present,
given they are of the same class of liquids (polar and non-polar substances).

Many liquid mixtures fall into these two categories of polar and non-polar mixtures which are
either immiscible and miscible. Two liquids are “partially miscible” if shaking equal volumes
of the liquids together results in a meniscus visible between two layers of liquid, but the
volumes of the layers are not identical to the volumes of the liquids originally mixed. For
example, shaking water with certain organic acids results in two clearly separate layers, but
each layer contains water and acid (with one layer mostly water and the other, rich in acid.)
Liquids tend to be immiscible when attractions between like molecules are much stronger
than attractions between mixed pairs.

The objectives of this experiment are 1) to determine the solubility of two partially liquids
(phenol – water solution), 2) to construct a mutual solubility for the pair, and 3) to determine
their critical solution temperature.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Solubility of liquids in liquids

Two or more liquids are frequently mixed together in the preparation of pharmaceutical
solutions. For example, alcohol is added to water to form hydro-alcoholic solutions of various
concentrations; volatile oils are mixed with water to form dilute solutions known as aromatic
waters; volatile oils are added to alcohol to yield spirits and elixirs; and various fixed oils are
blended into lotions, sprays, and medicated oils. Liquid–liquid systems can be divided into
two categories according to the solubility: (a) complete miscibility and (b) partial miscibility.

Complete miscibility

Polar and semipolar solvents, such as water and alcohol, glycerine and alcohol, and alcohol
and acetone, are said to be completely miscible because they mix in all proportions. nonpolar
solvents such as benzene and carbon tetrachloride are also completely miscible. Completely
miscible liquid mixtures in general create no solubility problems for the pharmacist.

Partial miscibility

When certain amounts of water and ether or water and phenol are mixed, two liquid layers
are formed, each containing some of the other liquid in the dissolved state. The phenol-water
system has been discussed in detail in previous Chapter. The solubility of partially miscible
liquids is influenced by temperature. In a system, such as pheno1 and water, the mutual
solubility of the two conjugate phases increase with temperature until reaching the critical
solution temperature, where a homogeneous or single-phase system is formed.

The solubility of some liquid pairs, can increase as the temperature is lowered, and the
system will exhibit a lower critical temperature, below which the two liquids are soluble in all
proportions and above which two separate layers form. Another type, involving a few
mixtures such as nicotine and water, shows both an upper and a lower critical temperature
with an intermediate temperature region in which the two liquids are only partially miscible.
A final type exhibits no critical solution temperature; the pair ethyl ether and water, for
example, has neither an upper nor a lower critical temperature and shows partial miscibility
over the entire temperature range at which the mixture exists.

PROCEDURE

We prepared 80% phenol solution to be mixed with a set amount of distilled water. Then this
solution is then heated until it has become homogeneous. As with each heating, the critical
temperature is recorded and as with each cooling the temperature is also recorded. After this,
we added a set amount of water dropwise to the solution. After each addition of water to the
solution, the solution is then heated to its critical temperature and is cooled. This step is then
repeated multiple times, adding about 1 ml of water each heating. The temperatures, percent
compositions and temperatures are then tabulated and analysed.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Resulting from the experiment, it can be derived that when one component has a greater
composition to the other component, the temperature at which the mixture becomes
homogenous changes with respect to this. As with any experiment, the apparatuses used may
affect the accuracy of the measured temperatures and composition of mixtures. As a
recommendation, higher quality apparatuses must be requested to make the data more
accurate.

NOMENCLATURE

Xi=Mole fraction of the given component of the binary system. This is unitless

Critical Temperature: The temperature at which a partially miscible mixture system

becomes homogeneous.

Miscibility: The property of a solution of two or more components to be mixable to each

other.
LITERATURE CITED

P. Atkins and J. de Paula, Physical Chemistry (8th ed., W.H. Freeman 2006)

Smith, J. M.; Van Ness, H. C.; Abbott, M. M. (2005), Introduction to Chemical Engineering
Thermodynamics (seventh ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill,

Atkins and de Paula.

Physicochemical Principles of Pharmacy 4Th edition, Alexander T Florence and David

Attwood, Pharmaceutical Press

Physical Chemistry 2nd Ed. Pergamum, E.A. Moelwyn-Hughes New York

Martin’s Physical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 5th edition, Patrick J. Sinko,

Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

ADAMSON UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering
Chemical Engineering Department
M a n il a
 Physical Chemistry for
Engineers 2
Experiment 3: Solubility Diagram of a
Partially Miscible Liquid System

Prepared by: Signatures:

Sta. Teresa, Jabin M. _______________________

Sulay, Al Eixaaq, _______________________

Vicente, Rachel, _______________________

Torres, Melanie, _______________________

Submitted to:
Prof. Eduardo Hernandez _______________________
Date:
___________________________