Question

Once the ground Excedrin tablet is dissolved in DCM during the Solid-Liquid Extraction (Tablet-DCM), why is the solution gravity-filtered? Check all that apply.

a. To remove insoluble compounds like acetaminophen from the dichloromethane extract
b. To remove binding reagents from the dichloromethane extract
c. To isolate the solid extract, which can then be dissolved in a different solvent and analyzed as well
d. To remove aspirin and caffeine contaminants from the dichloromethane extract

Answer 1

Gravity-filtered during Solid-Liquid Extraction with DCM is to remove insoluble binding reagents and excipients, not specifically to separate active compounds like acetaminophen or caffeine.

Step-by-step explanation:

Once the ground Excedrin tablet is dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM) during the Solid-Liquid Extraction process, the solution is gravity-filtered to remove insoluble compounds, which may include binding reagents and other excipients present in the tablet. Filtration helps to ensure that the resulting dichloromethane extract is free of soluble, non-target components. This step in the process does not specifically target the separation of active ingredients such as acetaminophen or caffeine, as these compounds are expected to be soluble in DCM. Instead, the gravity filtration aims to isolate the dissolved active components by removing the undissolved excipients.