Separation and Purification of Organic Compounds

ACTIVITY 2
Liquid to Liquid Extraction

I. OVERVIEW
Liquid-liquid extraction is a simple extraction technique that exploits relative solubility to separate the solutes of
a solution. This instructable will outline the steps for a simple liquid-liquid extraction and demonstrate the proper
technique.

The process should take around 4-5 minutes but varies depending on the volume extracted and any repeated
extractions.

It should be noted that, depending on the materials used, extra instructions may need to be followed. The
instructions will be based on the items used in this instruction. As a result, the solvents employed are acetone for
the organic solvent and water for the aqueous solvent. Both of these solvents have been colored for clarity.
II. SAFETY CONCERNS
Proper laboratory attire should be worn when working with chemicals (gloves, goggles, lab coat, and coats.).
Follow any safety protocol related to chemicals used in your experiment.
III. MATERIALS
 Aqueous solution
 Organic solution
 Vial & Cap
 2 Test Tubes
 Pipette
 Alternatively, a separatory funnel (not pictured) can be used instead of a vial and pipette

IV. PROCEDURES
STEP 1: Mix the Solvents
1. To the vial, add both the organic solvent and the aqueous solvent. Two separate layers should be
observable due to differences in solvent densities. The less-dense organic layer will be above the
aqueous layer.
2. Cap the vial and mix the solution by inverting the vial gently, do not shake too vigorously or you will
cause a very fine dispersion of immiscible solvent (emulsion) which will take longer to separate.
3. NOTE: You should periodically stop and remove the cap during the shaking process to alleviate any
pressure build-up that may occur.
4. Allow the phases to separate such that two distinct layers are observed, and no noticeable number of
solvents are mixed
 STEP 2: Separate the Layers
1. Extract the layers from one another, and make sure to note which layer is organic and which is aqueous
(Figure 3.)
2. Transfer the layers to separate test tubes to isolate the different solvents.
3. Add water to the organic solvent to further extract any aqueous soluble solvents, repeat the steps up
until this point and extract the new aqueous layer to the same container.
4. At this point, you have completed a round of extraction, the process can be repeated to further extract
different solutes as per the instruction of your experiment.

STEP 3: Drying the Organic Solvent

A drying agent such as magnesium sulfate can be used to further extract aqueous solvent from the
organic solvent after extraction.

1. Add a drying agent until the organic solvent is sufficiently dried from the aqueous solvent. If the
drying agent forms a clump at the bottom of the tube, then more drying agent is needed
2. Stop once the drying agent begins to swirl around in the solution with a 'snow globe-like
consistency
3. At this point the drying agent can be filtered out via vacuum filtration or simple gravity filtration

IV. QUESTIONS:
1. What is the purpose of doing liquid-liquid extraction?

2. What is liquid-liquid extraction based upon?

3. When choosing the solvents for liquid-liquid extractions, what characteristics must they have?