UP206L

Ankur Bhaumik
18895

Experiment 2
Separation of Acidic, Basic and Neutral Compounds from Mixture by the
Method of Extraction
Date: 28/08/21

Aim- To separate a mixture of cinnamic acid, p-toluidine, and anisole into individual
components.

Principle-Extraction is based on the nature of solubility of the components of a mixture in

different solvents. For e.g., let us say we have two components A and B which are more
soluble in water and organic solvent respectively. So, these components will separate between
two different solvents and establish a dynamic equilibrium. The solvents are such that they are
immiscible. One of them is water and the other is an organic solvent like ether. The ratio of the
concentration of a solute in ether to that in water is given by its partition coefficient K.
Cether
K solute =
Cwater
This constant depends on the solvent, the solute and temperature. Using this constant, one
can show that extracting a component from a mixture several times with small portions of
solvent is more efficient than extracting it with one large portion.

Procedure-
A. Separation
1. The mixture is dissolved 30-40 ml of DCM and transferred to the separating funnel.
2. 2 M HCl (2 X 15 ml) is added to the separating funnel and the mixture is shaken
thoroughly. The pressure is released immediately after each shaking.
3. The aqueous layer is collected in a beaker/conical flask which is labelled as A.
4. Rest of the organic solution is again taken in the separating funnel and 2 M NaOH
solution is added (2 X 15 ml) is added. It is shaken thoroughly. The pressure is released
immediately after each shaking.
5. The aqueous layer is collected in a beaker/conical flask which is labelled as B.
 6. The organic layer is collected in a beaker/conical flask which is labelled as C.

B. Purification
I. Purification of p-toluidine
1. NaOH pellets are added to the beaker A (containing the amine salt) and shaken
properly.
2. The above mixture is taken in a separating funnel. DCM is added to this funnel
and shaken properly.
3. A few spatulas of sodium sulphate are added to remove trace amounts of
water.
4. The organic layer in a dry beaker/conical flask.
5. The organic solvent is evaporated using a rotary evaporator.
6. The solid left behind is p-toluidine.

II. Purification of cinnamic acid

1. Conc. HCl is added to the beaker B (containing the amine salt) and shaken
properly. White precipitate starts to form.
2. The precipitate is collected by filtration. The isolated residue is recrystallized
using hot water.
3. This is cinnamic acid.

III. Purification of anisole

1. The organic solvent is removed from the solution in beaker C using rotary
evaporator.
2. The solid residue is anisole.

Flow Chart (see next page)

Result/Conclusion-
A mixture of an acidic compound (cinnamic acid), a basic compound (p-toluidine) and a neutral
compound (anisole) was successfully separated into its individual components using liquid-
liquid extraction.