Question

consider 15 ml of an aqueous solution containing 2.0 g of an organic solute. if the distribution coefficient for the solute between ether and water is 20, calculate the percent of the compound that can be recovered with a single extraction with 8.2 ml of ether.

Answer 1

To calculate the percent recovery of an organic compound between water and ether with a given distribution coefficient, we use the formula based on proportions, solve for the mass in each phase, and then calculate the percentage extracted.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking to calculate the percent of an organic compound that can be recovered from an aqueous solution through a single extraction with ether, given the distribution coefficient between ether and water. To solve this, one would use the formula to find the masses of solute in both phases and then calculate the percentage of the compound extracted.

Steps for Calculation:

1. Use the distribution coefficient (K) formula: K = (concentration in organic phase) / (concentration in aqueous phase).
2. Define initial solution parameters and set up equations based on the initial and final conditions.
3. Find the final concentration in the water phase and calculate the percent recovery based on the mass extracted compared to the initial mass.

With a distribution coefficient of 20, we can set up a proportion to find how much solute remains in the water after extraction:

Initial mass in water = 2.0 g

After extraction:

Concentration in water phase / Concentration in ether phase = 1 / 20

Using conservation of mass:

Mass in water + Mass in ether = 2.0 g

We solve for Mass in water and Mass in ether using the above proportion and then find the percentage recovered.