PRACTICAL

2B Distilling cola
Aim: to separate the solvent from a solution, and identify the solvent.

You will need:

n cola n ice n anhydrous copper(II) sulfate, a white solid (harmful)

n beaker, 100 cm3 n anti-bumping granules n Bunsen burner and

n measuring cylinder, 25 cm3 n delivery tube with bung heat-resistant mat
n conical flask, 100 cm3 for flask n tripod and gauze
n spatula n retort stand, clamp, and boss n safety glasses

Background Observations
l Cola is a solution. It contains a mixture 1 What did you observe in the flask and delivery
of solutes, including carbon dioxide gas. tube, during heating?
l The solvent can be separated from it by 2 Describe the appearance of:
distillation, and collected. a the cola
b the liquid in the test-tube
Preparation
c the liquid left in the conical flask
Set up the apparatus as shown here.
3 What change did you observe when you added
anhydrous copper(II) sulfate, in step 7?

ice
water
Procedure
1 Remove the conical flask from the apparatus.
2 Pour 20 cm3 of cola into the flask. Shake it
to get rid of the bubbles of carbon dioxide.
3 Add 5 anti-bumping granules to the cola.
4 Reattach the conical flask to the apparatus.
5 Heat the conical flask gently.
6 Stop heating when the test-tube is half-full
of liquid.
7 Remove the test-tube and add some anhydrous
copper(II) sulfate to it, using a spatula.
Questions
1 Where in the apparatus do these take place?
a evaporation
b condensation
2 Why is ice added to the beaker?
3 Explain the observation in 3 above.
4 If the liquid in the test-tube is pure, what will
its boiling point be?
5 Heating will drive off any remaining carbon
dioxide from the cola. It cannot be collected
using the apparatus on the left. Why not?
6 a What is the test for carbon dioxide?
b See if you can suggest a way to modify the
apparatus, so that the experiment includes
a test for carbon dioxide.
7 See if you can name one other solute that the
liquid in the flask may contain.

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