Question

2. You prepare aniline in the lab via an aqueous synthesis. 50 mL of crude aniline is collected in this procedure. The crude product is purified via distillation, and you record a boiling point of 92 C This temperature remained constant throughout most of the distillation. However, the distillate drips into the receiving flask as a cloudy liquid that separates into two layers as it cools. Completely explain these results and observations.

Answer 1

Solution:

Distillation of aniline in which crude aniline is vapourized in presence of water to produce a mixture of aniline and steam. The vapours are condensed to liquid and the two liquids are seperated by gravity seperation. At elevated temperature, they are separated into two sharp layers. The water layer being havier than aniline layer form inner layer, while aniline forms upper layer. The seperation of aqueous aniline from water is becomes possible because aniline forms azeotropic mixture with water at  boiling point 98 C.