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Determination of Boiling Point
Determination of Boiling Point
Pharmacy department
Title of Report :-
Determination of Boiling Point
Student Name :
Supervised by:
Ethanol
Test tube
Capillary tube
Water bath
Thermometer
Stand and clamp
Procedure:
3- Ensure that the temperature of the paraffin oil is below 50 °C. Place
2‐3 mL of sample in the test tube.
4- Turn on the hot plate and use a clean glass rod to stir the paraffin oil
to ensure a uniform heat distribution.
5- Record the temperature when rapid air bubbles come out from the
capillary. At this stage, the vapor pressure of the unknown inside the
capillary is higher than the atmospheric pressure.
6- Turn off the hot plate and carefully insert a ceramic tile between the
beaker and the hotplate. Alternatively, you may replace the hot plate
with the one that has not been used. However, the thermometer bulb
and the content in the test tube should be submerged in the paraffin oil
at all times.
As the length of carbon chain increases, the surface area of the compound
will also increase. Van der Waals dispersion force is proportional to the
surface area. So, the increase of surface area increases the ability of
individual molecules to attract each other. Branching in molecules decreases
the surface area thereby decreasing the attractive force between individual
molecules. As a result, the boiling point decreases.
Consider the boiling point of n-pentane and neo-pentane (2,2-dimethyl
propane). These are isomers having the same molecular formula (C5H12), but
differ in their structures.
4. Polarity
Polarity of the molecule determines the force of attraction between the
molecules in the liquid state. In polar compounds, the positive end of one
molecule is attracted by the negative end of another molecule. That means
polar molecules are attracted by opposite charge effect. The polarity of a
molecule is determined by its functional group. The greater the polarity, the
higher is the boiling point.
Water baths, heated on a hotplate, are most commonly used to heat
solutions to 100 C. They may also be used to heat to lower temperatures,
although it can be difficult to maintain a constant temperature. Water baths
can be covered with aluminum foil to prevent excessive evaporation, or to
prevent excess moisture from entering open vessels. Cold water baths can
also be used to cool apparatuses in a quick manner.
Oil baths are much like water baths, but use silicone or mineral oils in order
to enable temperatures hotter than the boiling point of water
(> 100oC100oC). Silicone oil baths can be heated to 250oC, while mineral
oil baths can be heated to 300oC.77 Mineral oil is composed of mixtures of
long-chain alkanes, and so is combustible. Direct contact with open flames
should therefore be avoided.
Oil baths can be heated in a Pyrex crystallizing dish atop a hotplate. It is also
quite common for the oil to be electrically heated, through immersion of a
coiled wire connected to a "Variac". A Variac connects to the outlet and can
deliver variable voltage through the wire. A Variac set to "100" would be
equivalent to plugging the system directly into the wall (100%), while a
setting of "50" means the delivered voltage is halved (50%). By controlling
the delivered voltage, Variacs are used to regulate the temperature of the oil.
If you have previous experience using a Variac with heating mantles, the
settings will not translate to the oil bath as oil bath wires heat more rapidly
than a heating mantle's wires. A paper clip can also be used in an oil bath
and stirred with a stirring plate in order to dissipate heat. This allows for the
temperature of an oil bath to quickly respond to adjustments up or down.
References: