Drying Agents
Easychemistry
Which is a suitable drying agent for neutral organic solvents like ether?
Select the correct option:
Solution
Incorrect! Answer:
Anhydrous CaCl2
- Selection Criteria: A drying agent should be chemically inert toward the solvent and the solute, yet have a high affinity for water.
- Anhydrous CaCl2: It is a generic, effective drying agent for alkanes and ethers. It works by forming stable hydrates (CaCl2⋅xH2O).
- Prohibitions:
- Concentrated H2SO4 is too reactive and oxidizing (can dehydrate or oxidize organic molecules).
- NaOH is basic and can react with sensitive functional groups or catalyze reactions.
- KMnO4 is an oxidant, not a drying agent.
- Caution: Anhydrous CaCl2 cannot be used for drying alcohols or amines because it reacts with them to form complex addition compounds.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- purification techniques
- Topic
- drying agents
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Anhydrous CaCl2
- Selection Criteria: A drying agent should be chemically inert toward the solvent and the solute, yet have a high affinity for water.
- Anhydrous CaCl2: It is a generic, effective drying agent for alkanes and ethers. It works by forming stable hydrates (CaCl2⋅xH2O).
- Prohibitions:
- Concentrated H2SO4 is too reactive and oxidizing (can dehydrate or oxidize organic molecules).
- NaOH is basic and can react with sensitive functional groups or catalyze reactions.
- KMnO4 is an oxidant, not a drying agent.
- Caution: Anhydrous CaCl2 cannot be used for drying alcohols or amines because it reacts with them to form complex addition compounds.
This easy difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter purification techniques, covering the topic of drying agents. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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