HAND-IN

Recrystallization of benzoic acid and

melting point determination
Name: Dmytro Umen
Aim
To purify benzoic acid by recrystallization and determine its melting point.

Risk assessment
Material name and chemical Associated risks Measures taken
formula
Benzoic acid (C6H5COOH) Irritating to eyes, skin and Wearing gloves, goggles
respiratory systems and lab coat. Also avoiding
direct contact with material
Ethanol (C2H5OH) Highly flammable, irritant if Keeping the material away
ingested or inhaled from flames and use in well-
ventilated areas
Hot water (H2O) Risk of burns Handle carefully, use heat
resistance gloves or
something to reduce feeling
of direct heat to your body
parts if necessary

Environmental risks
Waste products (if any) Associated risks Waste management
 Benzoic acid residues  Low environmental  Collect and dispose of
toxicity but can disrupt designated organic waste
 Ethanol residues ecosystems in large container
amounts.
 Filtration paper with  Collect ethanol waste in
residues.  Volatile organic appropriate waste
compounds contribute to container; do not pour
air pollution if released. down sink

 Contaminated solid waste  Dispose of in solid

chemical waste container
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Ethical risks
Risks to humans Justification Management
 Exposure to chemicals  Lab safety must protect  Use personal protective
students and staff from equipment (PPE), proper
 Risk of burns from hot harm waste disposal, and risk
equipment and water communication
 Lab conditions must
ensure safety of all  Provide training and
participants supervision; emphasize
safe handling practices

Risks to the environment Justification Management

 Improper disposal of  Even small amounts of  Collect and dispose of all
organic waste organic solvents can cause waste in accordance with
environmental harm school chemical disposal
policy

Method/procedure
Changes were made after watching the learning video! Write the new procedure.
Our impure sample had sand added to benzoic acid which added us an extra filtration process
of filtration through filtering paper.
We also have determined melting point in another way. Instead of analysing the melting point,
we waited till it was going to melt and wrote down values of when it started to melt and when
it was fully melted.

Results
Initial mass of benzoic acid: 3.0003 g.
Mass of purified benzoic acid: 2.45000 - 1.12880 = 1.3212 g
Theoretical melting point of benzoic acid: 122 – 125 degrees Celsius
Experimental melting point of benzoic acid: 123 – 126 degrees Celsius.

Analysis
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1. Calculate percentage yield. Was the percentage yield lower or higher than you
expected? Suggest possible sources of product loss during the recrystallization and
filtration steps.

(1.3212 / 3.0003) 100 = 44.04 %

It was a little higher than expected as I thought the value would be closer to the
50% mark rather than us having been left over with 40.

The reason as to why the product had such a significant loss is that we have gone
through a lot of separation processes and benzoic acid was not even the main
component of the mixture we had been given in the beginning. The sand that we
filtrated at the start of the procedure took up the majority of the mixture and is the
reason why it seemed that we lost so much. We also could and did lose some when
we were determining the melting point because we put some out on the surface of
the watch glass and weren’t able to put all of it back on the paper.

2. Calculate percentage error. Is your melting point depressed and/or broadened

compared to the theoretical value? What does this indicate about the purity of your
product?

(123 – 122 / 122) • 100 = 0.8% error

Since our melting point isn't depressed nor broadened, it showcases that our
benzoic acid is highly pure after the recrystallization process.

Reflection
 Why is it important to cool the hot benzoic acid solution slowly before crystallization?
What might happen if it is cooled too quickly in an ice bath?

It is important to cool a hot benzoic acid solution slowly during recrystallization

because it allows the molecules of the desired compound to arrange themselves into a
pure, well-formed crystal lattice. Rapid cooling, such as in an ice bath, can cause the
benzoic acid to precipitate out of the solution too quickly, trapping impurities within
the crystal structure. This results in a less pure product.

 During recrystallization, why must the benzoic acid be dissolved in hot water and not
cold water?
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It is because benzoic acid being dissolved in hot water makes it more soluble in less
solvent which is the key to better purification.

 Why do we wash the crystals with cold water and not warm water during filtration?

Washing crystals with cold water minimizes losses during the process due to it being
cold, while removing any possible impurities on the surface of crystals.

 Suppose some sand particles passed through during filtration. Would this affect the
melting point of benzoic acid? Why or why not?

I do not think that sand in any way affects the melting point of the benzoic acid
because it is insoluble in it.

 Why is it important to heat the Thiele tube slowly near the expected melting point?

My initial thought is that it is to bring it to the faze where intermolecular forces can't
hold up and they are breaking apart into liquid to then see the temperature it is
happening at and also have time to capture it on thermometer as it wouldn't be
possible to do with fast heating because thermometer will show higher temperature
than the melting point of the sample.

 In practice, why might the melting point measured in a school lab be slightly higher
than the literature value, even if the sample is pure?

It is because of our equipment and the room temperature not being constantly
regulated as it is in professional labs. Also, errors like unregulated thermometer could
give us false measurements.