| Analysis of Crude Clove Oil | Go Back to Flow Diagram | |
| GC will be provided to you because we do not want to damage the GC instrument by injecting samples in methylene chloride.............. | [Methylene chloride may break down to give HCl at high temperatures over a metal surface; this would corrode the instrument.] | |
| You will take an IR spectrum using one salt plate as described below........ | ||
| Step 1 |  |
Dry a 1-2 mL portion of the combined
methylene chloride extracts over a small amount of
anhydrous magnesium sulfate in a test tube. Shake and let stand 10 minutes. |
| Step 2 |  |
Carefully remove a few drops of the supernatant (and not the magnesium salt!) with a fresh pipet........ |
| Step 3 |  |
......apply the solution to the NaCl
plate without scratching the surface. You can pick the plate up by the edges and try to keep it leveled so the solution stays near the center ..... blow gently across it to speed evaporation. |
| Step 4 |  |
Your goal is to get a substantial amount of oil on the surface -- hopefully near the center -- about five cycles of evaporation (repeat steps 2 & 3 five times). |
| Step 5 |
©2001,2002 Daniel A. Straus |
Remove residual methylene chloride by
placing the plate on a paper towel six inches below the
heat lamp for three minutes. NOTE: The goal is not to evaporate everything, just the residual methylene chloride. Of course, the crude oil will still be visible on the plate. |
