Hey; Where did it go? A Guided Inquiry Experiment for the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

This paper describes a straightforward experiment using the guided-inquiry approach for the extraction technique that is widely used in organic chemistry for purifying reaction products or to isolate natural products. This experiment extends the students’ understanding of the acid–base reactions of organic molecules and the relationship of these reactions to chemical structure. It also promotes understanding of extraction separation techniques for organic compounds. The objective of this experiment is to allow the students to conduct an experimental procedure applying an acid–base reaction to the separation of two compounds by extraction techniques. Also, the students will be familiarized with the ferric chloride qualitative analysis test and with different types of filtration. This approach allows students to integrate different concepts learned throughout the general chemistry course in the context of organic chemistry. These concepts include pH, pKa, density, and solubility.