Nicolas Rey Ospina Section: 01

Lab instructor: Dr David Quesnel 2021-02-11

PRELAB EXERCISE EXPERIMENT 5

1. What purpose does sodium carbonate serve during the extraction of caffeine from tea leaves?

The purpose of sodium carbonate during the extraction process of caffeine from tea leaves is to
separate caffeine from tannins in the dichloromethane layer.

2. What purpose does a 1-cm layer of anhydrous sodium sulfate in the apex of the funnel serve while

transferring the dichloromethane extract into the round-bottom flask?

When transferring the dichloromethane extract into the round-bottom flask, 1-cm layer of anhydrous
sodium sulfate in the funnel is used to remove minute amounts of dissolved water in a solvent.

3. What is steam distillation and why is it a preferred technique to purify high boiling liquids that
are water insoluble?

Steam distillation is used for separating substances which are immiscible with water and this is a
preferred technique for high boiling liquids that are water insoluble because the mixture of two
immiscible liquids boils at a lower temperature than the normal boiling point.

4. The presence of the carbon-carbon double bond in eugenol can be tested using the bromine water
test. Write a balanced equation for the reaction involved in this test.

The balanced equation for the reaction that involved in bromine water test of eugenol is.

C10H12O2+Br2+H2O→C10H13O3Br+HBr