In this experiment, the ingredients of Excedrin were separated using their differing physical and chemical properties and then purified. The resulting caffeine, acetaminophen, and aspirin were then analyzed using IR spectroscopy and thin layer chromatography for purity. Of the 4.0058 grams of Excedrin powder initially used 3.1167 grams were recovered for a 77.80 % yield. Separating components in mixtures such as this is an important skill within the chemistry field and used frequently. The solubility, or maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved in a given amount of solvent, is a physical property that can be used in separation. If in a mixture one component is soluble while the other is not, separation can be easily performed via solid liquid extraction. This is where one solute is put into solution while the other stays as a solid and the resulting mixture is separated via vacuum filtration. …show more content…
In liquid liquid extraction separation occurs due to the chemical potential of solutes contained within two chosen immiscible solvent systems usually containing a polar and a non-polar layer. Differences in solubility based on the chemical reactivity, such as containing acidic protons, can be used to separate the components into the different layers with the polar molecules moving toward aqueous bases as they are deprotinated. The layers can then be separated due to differences in density between the two immiscible layers. The resulting liquid can then be reprotonated and/or evaporated to retrieve the