Organic chemistry

The experiments in this section include the synthesis and characteristic properties of a wide range of aliphatic and aromatic substances. A range of techniques is covered including: reflux, distillation, vacuum filtration, purification and determination of yield and purity.

While we are still at an early stage with this website it's probably more useful to look at the page with our complete list of experiments in alphabetical order. See the list on About this website.

We are starting with GCSE-level experiments.

Experiments

• Making soaps and detergents

  The manufacture of soaps and detergents is illustrated by the saponification of castor oil to form a soap, and the sulfonation of castor oil to make a detergent.

• Urea-methanal polymerisation

  A hard, white, thermosetting polymer is produced by adding acid to a solution of urea in aqueous methanal (formalin).

• The reaction of ethyne with chlorine

  Calcium carbide reacts with an acid to produce ethyne (acetylene) gas. Chlorine from household bleach reacts spontaneously with the ethyne, giving a yellow, sooty flame.

• Oxidation of ethanol

  Ethanol is oxidised to form first ethanal, and then ethanoic acid (acetic acid).

• Dehydration of ethanol to form ethene

  Ethanol vapour is dehydrated by passing over a heated catalyst to produce ethene gas.

• Microscale preparation of ethyl benzoate

  The ester, ethyl benzoate, is prepared using a microscale technique.

• Making esters from alcohols and acids

  A range of alcohols and acids are used to produce a variety of esters.

• The ‘breathalyser’ reaction

  The reaction between ethanol and potassium dichromate illustrates the original ‘breathalyser’ test to detect alcohol in the breath of a driver.

• A giant silver mirror

  A silver mirror is formed on the inside of a large flask.

• Unsaturation in fats and oils

  The amount of unsaturated fats and oils present in different foodstuffs is compared by titrating solutions of food samples with bromine water.

• The conversion of ethanol to bromoethane

  The reaction of ethanol with phosphorus tribromide to make bromoethane

• The oxidation of cyclohexanol by nitric acid

  Cyclohexanol is oxidised to hexanedioic acid by nitric acid.

• The oxidation of cyclohexanol by potassium dichromate(VI)

  Cyclohexanol is oxidised to cyclohexanone in a petri dish.

• The properties of alcohols

  The common properties of ethanol and propan-1-ol are shown.

• A test to distinguish between ethanol and methanol

  Using a microscale method, students perform the ‘iodoform’ reaction on methanol and ethanol.

• The hydration of alkenes

  This practical demonstrates the hydration of alkenes by reaction with sulfuric acid, followed by adding water.

• Dyeing – three colours from the same dye-bath

  A visually attractive demonstration of the chemical specificity of different dyes for different fabrics.