Objective: To dehydrate the Pinacolyl alcohol product obtained from the previous lab.
Introduction: For this respective lab 3,3 Dimethyl 1-2-butanol (pinacolyl alcohol) will be dehydrated via catalytic sulfuric acid. Due to rearrangement of the carbocation, this acid catalyzed reaction leads to productions of three different butene products. The three products are 3,3 dimethyl 1-Butene, 2,3 dimethyl 1-butene, and 2,3 dimethyl 2-butene. For the case of this lab 2,3 dimethyl 2-butene will be the major product as it is the most stable, versus 3,3 dimethyl 1-butene that will be the least product. (BP 41 C, 56 C, and 73 C)
Once the acid catalyzed reaction is carried out, the technique of gas chromatography will be used to analyze the products that were formed. The specific gas chromatography that will be used is flame ionization detector. This method is able to analyze the compounds without decomposition. Using an inert carrier gas the products are then vaporized and go through the machine at a specific rate of time, which will be known as the retention time.
The products will come out on the other end of the machine according to their respective boiling points.
Procedures:
A. Week 1 - Carry out dehydration reaction
1. Handle the sulfuric acid with extreme care, as it highly corrosive.
2. Set up distillation apparatus. 100 ml round bottom as the reaction system, and the 25 ml round bottom as a collection flask. Also insert a thermometer to monitor the system.
3. Add a few boiling chips to the reaction round bottom, and add ice to this round bottom. Also create an ice bath for the product round bottom as the product is volatile.
4. Carefully measure and pour 15 ml of H2SO4 in the reaction flask, then add the pinacoyl-OH.
5. Rinse and clean all funnels...