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Required Practical 10: Aspirin

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Total cards: 23•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (23)

#1
Front (Question)

Draw a diagram to show the apparatus you would use to filter the crude product under reduced pressure (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Side-arm flask - Flat-bottomed filter funnel + filter paper

#2
Front (Question)

Describe briefly how you would determine an accurate value for the melting point of aspirin (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Heat the melting point tube in an oil bath - Slowly near the melting point

#3
Front (Question)

State two observations, during the melting point determination of aspirin, that would indicate that the sample of aspirin is not pure (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Melting point range would be wide - And below the true melting point

#4
Front (Question)

Suggest why a pure sample of aspirin may sometimes appear to melt at a temperature different from 135 °C (1 mark)

Back (Answer)

The temperature on the thermometer may not actually be the same as the sample

#5
Front (Question)

During the production of aspirin, salicylic acid is purified by recrystallisation. Explain why first, the sample is: - dissolved in a minimum volume of hot water - dissolved in hot water - filtered out hot - cooled in ice - washed with cold water (5 marks)

Back (Answer)

• To obtain saturated solution • To increase the yield of salicylic acid in the solution • To prevent crystals from forming during filtration • To increase the amount of crystals formed • To remove soluble impurities

#6
Front (Question)

Explain why anti-bumping granules are used during reflux (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Provide a larger surface area - Allowing smaller bubbles to form

#7
Front (Question)

Explain why reflux is beneficial (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Allows strong heating without losing volatile reactants and products • They evaporate and condense and fall back into the flask

#8
Front (Question)

Describe what happens when a reaction mixture is refluxed (2 marks)

Back (Answer)

• A mixture of liquids is heated to boiling point for a prolonged time • Vapour is formed which escapes from the liquid mixture, is changed back into liquid and returned to the liquid mixture

#9
Front (Question)

State the catalyst used in the production of aspirin (1 mark)

Back (Answer)

Concentrated sulfuric acid

#10
Front (Question)

Outline the method of recrystallisation (4 marks)

Back (Answer)

• Dissolve the product in the minimum volume of water • Hot water / solvent • Allow the solution to cool and allow crystals to form • Filter off the pure product under reduced pressure / using a Buchner funnel and side arm flask

#11
Front (Question)

Suggest 3 reasons why there could be a loss of yield during the recrystallisation of aspirin [3 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Crystals lost when filtering or washing • Some products stay in the solution after recrystallisation • Other side reactions could have occured

#12
Front (Question)

Suggest why there could be a larger than 100% percentage yield of aspirin [1 mark]

Back (Answer)

• The crystals may not have been dried properly

#13
Front (Question)

Describe how you would prepare aspirin [5 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Add 2g of salicylic acid + 4cm³ of ethanoic anhydride to pear shaped flask • Add a few drops of phosphoric acid, swirl and mix • Fit flask to reflux condenser and heat the mixture on a boiling water bath for about 5 minutes • Then add the mixture to 40cm³ of distilled water and stir to induce crystallisation • Then reduce under pressure

#14
Front (Question)

Explain why crystals are formed when the aspirin mixture is added to water [1 mark]

Back (Answer)

• Aspirin is insoluble so it forms crystals

#15
Front (Question)

Suggest why phosphoric acid is added during the preparation of aspirin [1 mark]

Back (Answer)

• It acts as a catalyst so speeds up the rate of the reaction

#16
Front (Question)

Describe and explain how you would purify aspirin via recrystallisation [5 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Dissolve the filtered crystals in a minimum volume of hot solvent to obtain a saturated solution • Stir the contents until all the aspirin has dissolved • Pour the hot solution through a warm filter funnel to remove insoluble impurities and to prevent crystals from forming during the filtration • Then pour the filtrate (solution remaining) into a beaker of water and allow crystals to form by placing in an ice bath • Filter off the purified solid under reduced pressure and allow it to dry on filter paper

#17
Front (Question)

Suggest why aspirin is filtered off using a Buchner flask [2 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Water pump connected to the flask reduces the pressure - Speeding up the filtration

#18
Front (Question)

Suggest three reasons why ethanoic anhydride is used as opposed to acid chlorides during the formation of aspirin [3 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Cheaper • Less corrosive • Less vulnerable to hydrolysis • Less dangerous to use

#19
Front (Question)

If a sample of aspirin is impure, how will this affect the melting point [1 mark]

Back (Answer)

• Melting point would be much lower

#20
Front (Question)

Suggest 3 ways in which impure aspirin would differ in appearance to pure aspirin [3 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Larger • Needle like • Lighter in colour

#21
Front (Question)

Describe how you would purify an organic liquid [6 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Add the impure product to a separating funnel • Add NaHCO₃, shake and release the pressure from the CO₂ produced • Add saturated NaCl solution to allow the layers to separate • Then run and discard the aqueous layer (bottom layer) • Run the organic layer into a conical flask, add some drying agent to dry the organic liquid • Carefully decant the liquid into a distillation flask and distil to collect the pure product

#22
Front (Question)

Suggest why the organic layer is usually formed on the top in a separating funnel [1 mark]

Back (Answer)

• It has a lower density than the aqueous layer

#23
Front (Question)

State two properties of the drying agent [2 marks]

Back (Answer)

• Insoluble in the organic liquid - Should not react with the organic liquid