Question

Note: Acetaminophen is partially soluble in ethyl acetate; aspirin and caffeine are soluble in ethyl acetate.

Suppose that the solid-liquid extraction in Part 2 of this experiment is performed using ethyl acetate instead of DCM. The resulting ethyl acetate liquid extract is labelled "EA" and the insoluble components of ethyl acetate extraction are dissolved in methanol, "M". What would you expect to see in a developed TLC plate of the "EA" extract? What would you expect to see in a developed TLC plate of the "M" extract?

Answer 1

In a developed TLC plate of the 'EA' extract, you would see spots representing the components that are soluble in ethyl acetate such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. In a developed TLC plate of the 'M' extract, you would see spots representing the components that are insoluble in ethyl acetate and dissolved in methanol.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a developed TLC plate of the 'EA' extract, you would expect to see spots corresponding to the components that are soluble in ethyl acetate. Acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine are soluble in ethyl acetate, so you would see spots representing these compounds on the TLC plate. The spots will appear at different positions on the plate based on their individual properties such as polarity.

In a developed TLC plate of the 'M' extract, you would expect to see spots corresponding to the components that are insoluble in ethyl acetate and dissolved in methanol. The insoluble components may include impurities, residual solvents, or other compounds that do not dissolve in ethyl acetate but do dissolve in methanol. The spots representing these components will appear at different positions on the TLC plate based on their individual properties.