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A solution of 4 g of organic compound X in 300 mL of water was extracted with 300 mL

of ethyl acetate. At equilibrium the concentration of X in the two phases was: 4.6 g / 100
mL of ethyl acetate; 0.8 g / 100 mL of water.
a) Calculate the partition coefficient, Kd, for compound X in this system. Show your
calculations for full credit

User Babygau
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The partition coefficient (Kd) for compound X between ethyl acetate and water is calculated using the equilibrium concentrations and is found to be 5.75.

Step-by-step explanation:

This question revolves around determining the partition coefficient (Kd) of an organic compound between water and ethyl acetate. The partition coefficient is a ratio that describes how a compound distributes itself between two immiscible solvents at equilibrium.

To calculate Kd for compound X, we need to consider the equilibrium concentrations of X in both water and ethyl acetate. The given values are 4.6 g per 100 mL for ethyl acetate and 0.8 g per 100 mL for water.

First, we convert these concentrations to a common volume to facilitate comparison:
4.6 g/100 mL in ethyl acetate is equivalent to 13.8 g/300 mL (since they extracted with 300 mL of ethyl acetate),

0.8 g/100 mL in water is equivalent to 2.4 g/300 mL (since they started with 300 mL of water).

Partition coefficient (Kd) is calculated as the concentration of X in ethyl acetate divided by the concentration of X in water at equilibrium.

Kd = concentration in ethyl acetate / concentration in water = (13.8 g / 300 mL) / (2.4 g / 300 mL) = 13.8 / 2.4 = 5.75

Therefore, the partition coefficient of compound X between ethyl acetate and water is 5.75.

User EagerMoose
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