EXPERIMENT 3

Steam Distillation
Introduction Plants have characteristic aromas because of volatile oils contained in every part of the plant. These oils are often concentrated in certain parts of the plant such as the seeds, bark, or flowers. These oils give a plant its particular essence thus the term essential oil. The essential oils of various plants have been used for centuries as flavorings, fragrances, and medicines. Some essential oils, such as limonene, are common to many different plants while others, such as eugenol, are more specific to a particular species of plant. In the case of clove and cinnamon the flavor is primarily due to one compound (eugenol and cinnamonaldehyde respectively) although the full flavor is due to a mi ture of several compounds. The isolation of essential oils is sometimes accomplished by steam distillation. In this techni!ue, compounds that are less volatile than water are co"distilled with water. This allows for distillation at temperatures lower than necessary to distill the oil by itself. #igh temperatures will often cause an organic compound to decompose. In this e periment you will steam distill the essential oils from citronella grass, citrus rind or other suitable plant material. I. Objectives $. To assemble and use a simple distillation setup in the separation of volatile substances from non"volatile materials. %. To isolate essential oils from plant sample. II. Procedure A. Steam Distillation

NOTE &rganic solvents are generally flammable and their vapors are to ic. Avoid open flames and do not inhale vapors. $. 'eigh out about %(( grams of fresh finely cut citronella grass, citrus rind or other suitable plant material. %. )i the sample with distilled water in the sample flask. *dd enough water such that the flask is about %+, full. ,. *ssemble the rest of the set"up. -. .heck all connections for tightness. Show your set"up to your instructor for inspection. /. #eat the sample flask. 0. .ollect about %(( m1 of distillate into a %/("m1 separatory funnel. 2. 3ecord all observations. !. Se"aration o# t$e Essential Oil #rom t$e Steam Distillate $. If a distinct oil layer separates from the a!ueous layer of the steam distillate, drain the a!ueous layer slowly out of the separatory funnel. If the oil layer is not distinct or if some oil droplets are dispersed in the distillate, salting out may be necessary. %. Place a spatula of the sodium chloride into the separatory funnel and gently shake or swirl the contents. 1et it stand to allow the oil layer to separate then proceed with the drawing out of the a!ueous layer. ,. Transfer the remaining oily layer into a previously weighed clean vial using a dry dropper. -. 4etermine the weight of the oil. /. 3ecord all observations. 0. 1abel the vial properly, indicating the source, laboratory section, group number and date. 2. Submit to your 1ab Instructor. III. %&ESTIONS $. * mi ture of immiscible li!uids (both water"insoluble) is sub5ected to steam distillation. *t 6(7., the vapor pressure of pure water is /%0 mm #g. If the vapor pressure of .ompound * is $%2 mm #g and that of 8 is %-0 mm #g at 6(7., a. 'hat is the total vapor pressure of the mi ture at 6(79 b. 'ould this mi ture boil at a temperature above or below 6(79 c. 'hat would be the effect on the vapor pressure and boiling temperature by doubling the amount of water used9 %. 3esearch on the essential oil you have isolated from your source. 4raw its structure. 8ased on literature, what is its boiling point+vapor pressure9 'hat are the uses of this oil9