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Category : Natural Sciences

Formation of Carbon-Carbon Double Bonds via the Wittig Experiment and the Hydrolysis of the Ester

Written by Dan Abstract In this experiment, a double bond was formed between two carbon atoms following the Wittig mechanism (discovered in 1954 by George Wittig[1]) to see if the resultant carboxylic acid product mixture is made up of a single diastereoisomer, or a mixture of the two. It was found that only one diastereoisomer was formed. Introduction   Figure 1 – reaction scheme for the overall reaction   The reagents required for the experiment were an ylide (a species […]

Investigating the Synthesis and Reactivity of Ferrocene

Written by Dan Abstract In this experiment, ferrocene was synthesised and purified by vacuum sublimation. The redox behaviour of ferrocene was investigated, and it was found that the only common redox product was the blue ferrocenium ion and that it was possible to reduce ferrocenium back to ferrocene. A sample of ferrocene was acetylated, and the products were separated by flash column chromatography to give unreacted ferrocene and monoacetylated ferrocene. Introduction Fig. 1 – structure of ferrocene, (η5-Cp)2Fe Ferrocene is […]

Examination of Unknown an Organic Compound

Written by Parul Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to be able to successfully execute a series of classification tests on an unknown compound, ultimately resulting in the deduction of the functional groups present. By performing this experiment, I hoped to be able to utilize and materialize knowledge of stereo-specific, chemical and physical properties of organic compounds. Procedure View given infrared spectrum and identify possible functional groups. Complete a preliminary classification. Determine boiling point using the microscale boiling point […]

Synthesis of Ferrocene

Written by Emily Introduction – Synthesis of Ferrocene Organometallic sandwich compounds were first synthesized in 1951. Ferrocene was the first organometallic sandwich compound to be made and the structure was not determined until a year after it was first produced. Ferrocene can be treated as two cyclopentadienyl anions liked by Fe2+ with an unusual stability. Cyclopentadiene, which is used to make ferrocene, is very unstable because it undergoes dimerization easily. For this reason, cyclopentadiene must formed just before the reaction […]

Identification of an Unknown Alcohol – Fischer Esterification

In this experiment, an unknown alcohol underwent a Fischer Esterification reaction by reacting it with acetic acid as well as sulfuric acid catalyst. The unknown product material was purified through distillation and characterized by analyzing the NMR and IR spectrum and determining the density of the product. In addition, the boiling point, refractive index, and chemical tests were performed to test for an ester. Lastly, the starting material, an unknown alcohol, was determined after finding out the product and examining […]

Synthesis of Triphenylmethanol from Benzophenone and Bromobenzene

Abstract The purpose of this lab was to use benzophenone and bromobenzene to synthesize triphenylmethanol. This was done via a Grignard reaction. The reaction was refluxed to form the Grignard reagent and then recrystallized to obtain a pure product. The melting point of the final pure product was determined to be 160 – 163.2 centigrade and the product showed IR peaks at 3471.83 cm– and 3059.52 cm–. Triphenylmethanol was synthesized with a 9.21 % yield.       Introduction The […]