20 Questions Bank: PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

1. What is the process of crystallization used for in organic chemistry?

Answer: Crystallization is utilized to purify solid organic compounds by dissolving them in a suitable solvent and then allowing the solution to cool, which results in the compound crystallizing out.

2. Explain the principle of sublimation and its application in organic chemistry.

Answer: Sublimation is based on the transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the gas phase without passing through the liquid phase. It is applied to purify volatile organic compounds that can sublime under specific conditions of temperature and pressure.

3. Describe the principles of chromatography and its applications in organic compound analysis.

Answer: Chromatography separates mixtures based on differential partitioning between a stationary phase and a mobile phase. It’s widely applied to separate and analyze complex mixtures of organic compounds.

4. What is distillation, and how is it used in purifying organic compounds?

Answer: Distillation is a technique that separates components of a liquid mixture based on differences in their boiling points. It is used to purify liquid organic compounds by heating the mixture, collecting the vapor, and condensing it back into liquid form.

5. Explain the principle of differential extraction and its application in organic chemistry.

Answer: Differential extraction separates organic compounds based on their solubility in different immiscible solvents. It is useful for extracting specific compounds from complex mixtures by utilizing solvents that preferentially dissolve the desired compounds.

6. How is nitrogen detected in qualitative organic analysis?

Answer: Nitrogen is detected using methods like the Lassaigne’s test, where the organic compound is fused with sodium to form sodium cyanide, which reacts with ferrous sulfate to produce a Prussian blue precipitate.

7. Describe the detection of sulfur in qualitative organic analysis.

Answer: Sulfur is detected by methods such as the sodium fusion test, where sulfur in the organic compound is converted into sodium sulfide, which then reacts with lead acetate to form a black precipitate of lead sulfide.

8. What methods are employed to detect phosphorus in qualitative organic analysis?

Answer: Phosphorus is detected using the Lassaigne’s test, where the compound forms sodium phosphate upon fusion with sodium, which then reacts with ammonium molybdate to produce a yellow precipitate of ammonium phosphomolybdate.

9. How are halogens detected in qualitative organic analysis?

Answer: Halogens are detected using the silver nitrate test, where halides react with silver nitrate to form insoluble silver halides, resulting in characteristic precipitates such as silver chloride, silver bromide, and silver iodide.

10. Explain the basic principles of quantitative analysis in organic chemistry.

Answer: Quantitative analysis involves determining the amounts of various elements or compounds present in a sample through techniques such as titration, gravimetric analysis, and instrumental methods like spectroscopy.

11. What is the process of estimating carbon content in organic compounds?

Answer: Carbon content is estimated by combustion analysis, where the organic sample is burned in the presence of oxygen, converting all carbon to carbon dioxide, which is then measured.

12. Describe the method used for estimating hydrogen in organic compounds.

Answer: Hydrogen is estimated using the Dumas method, where the sample is combusted to convert all hydrogen to water vapor, which is then collected and measured.

13. How is nitrogen content estimated in organic compounds?

Answer: Nitrogen is estimated by the Kjeldahl method, which involves digesting the sample with sulfuric acid to convert nitrogen to ammonium sulfate, followed by titration with a standard alkali solution.

14. Explain the method for estimating halogens in organic compounds.

Answer: Halogens are estimated by precipitation with silver nitrate, forming silver halides, which are then weighed. The weight of the precipitate indicates the amount of halogen present in the sample.

15. Describe the estimation of sulfur content in organic compounds.

Answer: Sulfur is estimated by combustion in an oxygen stream, converting it to sulfur dioxide, which is absorbed in hydrogen peroxide and titrated with iodine solution.

16. What are empirical and molecular formulae, and how are they calculated?

Answer: The empirical formula is the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms in a compound, and the molecular formula is the actual number of atoms in a molecule. They are calculated based on the mass percentages of elements determined through analysis.

17. Discuss numerical problems encountered in organic quantitative analysis.

Answer: Numerical problems involve calculations to determine the amount or concentration of a substance based on experimental data, requiring the application of stoichiometric principles and chemical equations.

18. Explain the applications of quantitative analysis in organic chemistry.

Answer: Quantitative analysis determines the purity of organic compounds, measures concentrations in mixtures, and calculates reaction yields, providing critical data for research and industrial applications.

19. How are instrumental methods utilized in quantitative organic analysis?

Answer: Instrumental methods like spectroscopy, chromatography, and mass spectrometry provide precise and accurate measurements of organic compounds, facilitating detailed analysis and identification.

20. What are the steps involved in calculating empirical and molecular formulae of organic compounds?

Answer: The steps include determining the mass percentages of elements, converting them to moles, dividing by the smallest mole value to obtain the empirical formula, and comparing the empirical formula mass to the molecular formula mass to determine the molecular formula.