Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Inorganic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Maria on May 11, 2005, 04:48:42 PM
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Hi, I'm a spanish girl and I need your help because in my country there are many forums but nobody helps. I don't speak well English, I'm sorry for this, my question is: Why do we wash inorganic salts with alcohol? Thank you, and please, answerme.
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Hello Maria,
As a general rule, inorganic compounds are often soluble in water, but much less soluble in other solvents such as alcohols. Washing inorganic salts will: a) remove water in the inorganic salt, b) wash away very little inorganic salt (which may be your product from an experiment), c) can crystallize inorganic salts if a small amount of water is present, and d) will tend to dissolve organic salts leaving your inorganic salts with less contamination.
I hope this helps you out,
Sincerely,
Eugene Dakin Ph.D., P.Chem.
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Hi, I'm a spanish girl and I need your help because in my country there are many forums but nobody helps. I don't speak well English, I'm sorry for this, my question is: Why do we wash inorganic salts with alcohol? Thank you, and please, answerme.
yeah, it's all part of a purification process.