Question

Explain how rapid crystal growth effects the melting point of the compound. Will it raise or lower the melting point?

Answer 1

The most common method of purifying solid organic compounds is by recrystallization. In this technique, an impure solid compound is dissolved in a solvent and then allowed to slowly crystallize out as the solution cools. As the compound crystallizes from the solution, the molecules of the other compounds dissolved in solution are excluded from the growing crystal lattice, giving a pure solid.

Crystallization of a solid is not the same as precipitation of a solid. In crystallization, there is a slow, selective formation of the crystal framework resulting in a pure compound. In precipitation, there is a rapid formation of a solid from a solution that usually produces an amorphous solid containing many trapped impurities within the solid's crystal framework. For this reason, experimental procedures that produce a solid product by precipitation always include a final recrystallization step to give the pure compound.

The process of recrystallization relies on the property that for most compounds, as the temperature of a solvent increases, the solubility of the compound in that solvent also increases. For example, much more table sugar can be dissolved in very hot water (just below the boiling point) than in water at room temperature. What will happen if a concentrated solution of hot water and sugar is allowed to cool to room temperature? As the temperature of the solution decreases, the solubility of the sugar in the water also decreases, and the sugar molecules will begin to crystallize out of the solution. (This is how rock candy is made.) This is the basic process that goes on in the recrystallization of a solid.

The steps in the recrystallization of a compound are:

1. Find a suitable solvent for the recrystallization;
2. Dissolve the impure solid in a minimum volume of hot solvent;
3. Remove any insoluble impurities by filtration;
4. Slowly cool the hot solution to crystallize the desired compound from the solution;
5. Filter the solution to isolate the purified solid compound.

Choosing a solvent

The first consideration in purifying a solid by recrystallization is to find a suitable solvent. There are four important properties that you should look for in a good solvent for recrystallization.

1. The compound should be very soluble at the boiling point of the solvent and only sparingly soluble in the solvent at room temperature. This difference in solubility at hot versus cold temperatures is essential for the recrystallization process. If the compound is insoluble in the chosen solvent at high temperatures, then it will not dissolve. If the compound is very soluble in the solvent at room temperature, then getting the compound to crystallize in pure form from solution is difficult. For example, water is an excellent solvent for the recrystallization of benzoic acid. At 10

Answer 2

majority of chemical processes are reactions that occur in solution. Important industrial processes often utilize solution chemistry. "Life" is the sum of a series of complex processes occurring in solution. Air, tap water, tincture of iodine, beverages, and household ammonia are common examples of solutions.

A solution is a homogenous mixture of substances with variable composition. The substance present in the major proportion is called the solvent, whereas the substance present in the minor proportion is called the solute. It is possible to have solutions composed of several solutes. The process of a solute dissolving in a solute is called dissolution.

Many common mixtures (like concrete) are heterogeneous