Organic Practical Setup 7. 'Drying' an organic liquid product.

2-methyl-2-chloropropane is produced by the reaction of concentrated hydrochloric acid with 2-methyl-propan-2-ol. The product is then purified by solvent extraction and simple distillation.

In this video I look at the use of the two main reducing agents employed in organic chemistry. These are lithium aluminium hydride (lithal) and sodium borohydride. I outline the mechanism (nucleophilic addition) in which hydride ions react with C=O groups to form alcohols via alkoxide intermediates. I compare the reactivities of the two reducing agents and discuss the explosive risks associated with using lithium aluminium hydride with protic solvents such as water or methanol. A practical setup, that could be used to reduce aldehydes and ketone with lithal, is presented at the end. It is one in a series of short videos looking at the main organic practical techniques: heat & distill; reflux distillation; washing and drying in solvent extraction; recrystallisation and melting point determination; and others

Coagulation is the process by which blood forms clots

Fractional distillation is used to separate a mixture of two or more fluids that at two different boiling points. Heating the mixtures and partially condensating the vapors are both parts of this process.

This video provides an animated explanation of the formation of polyamides from dicarboxylic acids and diamines. The process is known as condensation polymerisation - forming water molecules together with polyamide molecules. In accompanying videos I look at the formation of nylon and at polyesters, including terylene.