Recrystallization
RECRYSTALLISATION
PRESNTED BY
Mariam SeiduPriscilla TweneboahEvans Appiah-Kubi 3796509
Yaw Adu PokuEric Adjei 3809009
INTRODUCTION
Recrystallization is a method of purifying a solid. There are two types of impurities: those more soluble in a given solvent than the main component and those less soluble. (If there are any impurities that have the same solubility as the main component, then a different solvent needs to be chosen.) When organic substances are synthesized in the laboratory or isolated from plants, they will obviously contain impurities. Several techniques for purifying these compounds have been developed. The most basic of these techniques for the purification of organic solids is recrystallization, which relies on the different solubilities of solutes in a solvent. Compounds, which are less soluble, will crystallize first. The crystallization process itself helps in the purification because as the crystals form, they select the correct molecules, which fit into the crystal lattice and ignore the wrong molecules. This is of course not a perfect process, but it does increase the purity of the final product. The solubility of the compound in the solvent used for recrystallization is important. In the ideal case, the solvent would completely dissolve the compound to be purified at high temperature, usually the boiling point of the solvent, and the compound would be completely insoluble in that solvent at room temperature or at zero oC. In addition the impurity either would be completely insoluble in the particular solvent at the high temperature, or would be very soluble in the solvent at low temperature. In the former case, the impurity could be filtered off at high temperature, while in the latter case the impurity would completely stay in solution upon cooling. In the real world, this will never happen and recrystallization is a technique that has to be practiced and perfected. Regardless of
PRESNTED BY
Mariam SeiduPriscilla TweneboahEvans Appiah-Kubi 3796509
Yaw Adu PokuEric Adjei 3809009
INTRODUCTION
Recrystallization is a method of purifying a solid. There are two types of impurities: those more soluble in a given solvent than the main component and those less soluble. (If there are any impurities that have the same solubility as the main component, then a different solvent needs to be chosen.) When organic substances are synthesized in the laboratory or isolated from plants, they will obviously contain impurities. Several techniques for purifying these compounds have been developed. The most basic of these techniques for the purification of organic solids is recrystallization, which relies on the different solubilities of solutes in a solvent. Compounds, which are less soluble, will crystallize first. The crystallization process itself helps in the purification because as the crystals form, they select the correct molecules, which fit into the crystal lattice and ignore the wrong molecules. This is of course not a perfect process, but it does increase the purity of the final product. The solubility of the compound in the solvent used for recrystallization is important. In the ideal case, the solvent would completely dissolve the compound to be purified at high temperature, usually the boiling point of the solvent, and the compound would be completely insoluble in that solvent at room temperature or at zero oC. In addition the impurity either would be completely insoluble in the particular solvent at the high temperature, or would be very soluble in the solvent at low temperature. In the former case, the impurity could be filtered off at high temperature, while in the latter case the impurity would completely stay in solution upon cooling. In the real world, this will never happen and recrystallization is a technique that has to be practiced and perfected. Regardless of