Drying agents
DRYING AGENT
A drying agent is a chemical used to remove water from an organic compound that is in solution.
After an organic solvent has been in contact with an aqueous solution, it will be "wet", i.e., it will
contain some dissolved water even though the organic solvent will typically have a very low
miscibility with water. The amount of water dissolved varies from solvent to solvent. In order to
remove the dissolved water a drying agent is used.
Drying agents (also called desiccants) come in various forms and have found widespread use in
the foods, pharmaceuticals, packing, electronics and many manufacturing industries.
A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains a state of dryness in its vicinity.
Ideally, it is chemically stable and chemically inert (i.e., silica). Unfortunately, this is not always
the case in the chemistry lab because the drying agent comes into direct contact with the solvent
and the chemical.
Although in almost every instance, a drying agent is used to benefit a product, if used excessively,
it could potentially harm a product. Drying agents do not only absorb water, it can also absorb
other types of compounds. This is why it is extremely important that an industrial organization
preparing to use a drying agent has complete understanding and control of the drying agent about
to be put into use.
Many organic solvents are immiscible with aqueous solutions, but they are able to dissolve
significant amounts of water because of their polarity i.e., diethyl ether dissolves 7 % of its weight
in water while tetrahydrofuran is completely miscible with water. In those cases, drying agents
like calcium hydride (CaH2), sodium metal (in combination with benzophenone) or lithium
Aluminium hydride (LiAlH4) are used to chemically destroy the water in the solvent.
Common drying agents are anhydrous inorganic salts that acquire waters of hydration when
exposed to moist air or a wet solution. For the most common drying agents such as sodium sulfate
or magnesium sulfate, the crystals form larger clumps when they absorb water. After standing for
a short period the crystals are removed by filtration or decantation, and the solution is then
relatively free of water.
Prepared by: - Subham Kumar Vishwakarma (shubhamkumarvishwakarma7@[Link]), Gitam University
Visakhapatnam (AP)
Drying agents
Substance Capacity Speed Intensity Convenience Suitability
Calcium Chloride H M H H 1
Calcium sulfate (Drierite) L H+ H+ H 2
Magnesium sulfate H H M, H M 3
Potassium carbonate M M M M 4
Sodium sulfate H+ L L M 5
H: high M: medium L: low
1. Combines with alcohols, phenols, amines, amino acids, amides, ketones, and some aldehydes and esters. It
should not be used to dry solutions containing compounds of these types unless it is desired to remove them
also. Some calcium hydroxide may be present that will combine with acids. The hexahydrate is unstable above
30oC.
2. Generally useful. The hemihydrate is stable to at least 100C.
3. Generally useful.
4. Combines with acids and phenols. It should not be used to dry solutions containing acids unless it is desired to
remove them also.
5. Generally useful. The decahydrate is unstable above 32C.
Magnesium sulfate (n=7, e=2.8 mg/L) is a slightly acidic drying agent. It works well in solvents
like diethyl ether, but not as well for ethyl acetate. It is a fast-drying agent, in part because it comes
as a fine powder with a large surface area.
Sodium sulfate (n=10, e=25 mg/L) has a very high capacity and is mainly used for very wet
solutions. It is very efficient in ethereal solutions, but it also absorbs other polar compounds like
alcohols, etc. In addition, itis slower compared to magnesium sulfate, etc.
Class of Compounds Recommended Drying Agent
Alkane, alkyl halides MgSO4, CaCl2, CaSO4, H2SO4, P4O10
Aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers MgSO4, CaCl2, CaSO4, P4O10, Na-metal
Aldehydes, ketones, esters Na2SO4, MgSO4, K2CO3, CaSO4
Alcohols MgSO4, K2CO3, CaSO4, CaO, BaO
Amines KOH, K2CO3
Acidic compounds Na2SO4, MgSO4, CaSO4
Prepared by: - Subham Kumar Vishwakarma (shubhamkumarvishwakarma7@[Link]), Gitam University
Visakhapatnam (AP)