"Preparation of Acetanilide"
Theory:
Acetanilide is an organic compound that
can be synthesized by acetylation of aniline. Acetylation refers to the process
of introducing an acetyl group (-COCH3) to a compound. In this case, acetic
anhydride will be used as the acetylating agent to react with aniline,
resulting in the formation of acetanilide.
Materials
Required:
- Acetic anhydride (C4H6O3): Acetylating agent used to introduce the acetyl group.
- Aniline (C6H7N): Amine compound that undergoes acetylation to form acetanilide.
- Zinc dust (Zn): Catalyst used to promote the reaction.
- Glacial acetic acid (CH3COOH): Solvent and reaction medium.
- Distilled water (H2O): Used for washing and purification steps.
Chemicals Required:
- Acetic anhydride
- Aniline
- Zinc dust
- Glacial acetic acid
- Distilled water
Chemical
Equation:
Mechanism:
Procedure:
- Set up a round-bottom flask equipped with a reflux condenser and a magnetic stirrer.
- Add 10 mL of aniline to the flask.
- Slowly add 20 mL of acetic anhydride to the flask while stirring.
- Add a small amount (a few grams) of zinc dust to the reaction mixture as a catalyst.
- Heat the mixture gently under reflux for about 30 minutes. The reaction is exothermic, so monitor the temperature and adjust the heat accordingly to maintain refluxing conditions.
- After 30 minutes, remove the heat source and allow the reaction mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Carefully add the reaction mixture to a beaker containing ice-cold water while stirring vigorously. This will cause the acetanilide to precipitate out of the solution.
- Filter the precipitated acetanilide using a Buchner funnel or a simple gravity filtration setup.
- Wash the collected solid with cold distilled water to remove impurities. Repeat this washing process a few times.
- Finally, dry the acetanilide by spreading it out on a watch glass or filter paper in a well-ventilated area until it is completely dry.
- Weigh and record the yield of acetanilide obtained.
Amount of Aniline = 10ml
Molar mass of Aniline = 93 g/mol
Density of Aniline = 1.022 g/mol
Mass of Aniline = 10 x 1.02 = 9.784g
Moles of Aniline =
m/M
9.784÷93g/mol = 0.1052 moles
Moles of Aniline = 0.1052 moles
Amount of Acetic anhydride = 20ml
Molar mass of Acetic anhydride = 102 g/mol
Density of Acetic anhydride = 1.08 g/mol
Mass of Acetic anhydride = 20 x 1.08 = 18.51g
Moles of Acetic anhydride = m/M
18.51g÷102g/mol = 0.1815
moles
Moles of Acetic anhydride = 0.1815 moles
From chemical equation;
1eq of Aniline = 1eq of Acetic anhydride = 1eq of Acetanilide
so,
Molecular mass of Acetanilide = 135 g/moles
Moles of
Acetanilide = 0.105 moles
Mass of Acetanilide = n×M
(0.105mol)(135 g/mol)
= 7.77g
Theoretical yield = 7.77 g
Actual Yield = 7 g
Percentage Yield = (7 g
/ 7.77 g) × 100
Percentage Yield = 90.01%
Precautions:
The reaction should be performed with
caution as acetic anhydride is a corrosive and toxic compound. It is also
important to wear appropriate safety equipment, such as gloves and goggles, and
work in a well-ventilated area.