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Summary DETERMINATION OF MELTING POINTS
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experiment - DETERMINATION OF MELTING POINTS
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DETERMINATION OF MELTING POINTSIntroduction:
The melting point of a compound is the temperature at which it changes from a solid to a
liquid. This is a physical property often used to identify compounds or to check the purity
of the compound.
Most pure solids typically melt at a sharply defined, single temperature value. It is difficult,
though, to find a melting point because very small amounts of impurity can cause the
melting point to spread out over a range of several degrees. Impurities also lower the
melting point of a substance; this explains why we put salt on icy sidewalks and roadways.
Usually, chemists can only obtain a melting range of 2-3 °C. Melting begins when the
crystal structure of the sample begins to “slump,” or form liquid drops, and ends when the
entire sample is liquid. This is usually sufficient for most uses of the melting point.
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to determine the melting points of various prganic
compounds and to use these to identify unknowns.
Equipment / Materials:
Vernier Melt Station Solid organic componuds
LabQuest Capillary packing columns
Capillary tubes Scoopula
Weighing paper or boat Mortar and pestle (optional)
Safety:
• Always wear safety glasses in the lab.
• Parts on the top of the Melt Station are HOT when it is on (particularly the enclosed
heating block). These parts remain hot for a brief period of time after the unit is
turned off. Do not touch these parts - you will get burned!!!
• Capillary tubes break VERY easily: handle them with caution and dispose of them in
a glass waste container.
1
, Procedure:
1. Plug in the Melt Station apparatus and confirm that the unit is in the off position.
2. Connect the Melt Station to a LabQuest. Turn on the LabQuest. In a few moments, the
meter screen will appear and the temperature of the Melt Station’s heating block will
be displayed.
3. Place a small amount of the powder on a weighing boat/paper, transferring with a
scoopula/microspatula. You only need enough to fill the capillary tube to a level of 2-
3 mm. The use of large samples runs the risk of creating extremely large errors
in the final results.
4. Push the open end of the tube into the compound. Some of the sample will now be in
the top of the tube. Invert the capillary tube and tap the rounded bottom on you lab
table – this should cause the sample to fall to the bottom of the tube. If the sample does
not fall to the bottom of the tube, proceed to step #5 below.
5. Gently tap the bottom of the capillary tube on the benchtop to pack down the sample
or gently drop the capillary tube through the provided plastic sleeve onto the lab bench.
The capillary tube will bounce on the table, packing the powder into the bottom.
6. Carefully place the capillary tube of solid into one of the three slots in the heating block
of the Melt Station. You can tilt the Melt Station toward you slightly for a better look
at the heating block.
7. Repeat steps 3 - 6 for each sample, up to three samples at a time.
8. Start data collection. On the Melt Station, turn the control knob to the Rapid Heat area.
The red LED will come on, indicating the Melt Station is heating. Rapid Heat will
warm your solid sample at a rate of >10°C/min.
9. When the temperature is within about 10°C of the expected melting temperature of a
sample, turn the control dial to that temperature, which will slow the heating rate to
~1.5°C/min. Carefully observe your sample.
**It is essential to heat slowly near the melting temperature in order to evenly
distribute heat. If the sample is heated too rapidly, the resulting melting will occur
over a wide range of temperatures.
10. Record the melting range, which begins when the sample first starts to melt and ends
when the sample is completely melted.
11. Once all sample melting ranges have been recorded, on the Melt Station, turn the
control knob to the Fan/Cooling setting. The blue LED will come on, indicating the
Melt Station is cooling.
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