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Density Determination, Melting Point and Refractive Index

Introduction

This laboratory was designed to examine the physical properties of organic compounds. The three properties determined were density, melting point, and refractive index. Every compound has unique physical properties. In this laboratory the experimental results will be compared to the compounds actual cataloged properties, accuracy will then be calculated through percent error.

Theoretical Basis

One physical property is density. Density is the measure of mass per area volume (Density = Mass/Area). Another important physical property is a compound’s melting point. The melting point or range is very useful when determining a compound's purity. If the organic solid is pure, there are no contaminants present, then the substance will melt over a very short range (1-2 degrees). If the organic substance is a mixture then the melting point will be lowered and the melting range extended. By plotting the different melting point on a graph one can see an obvious tre...

Posted by: Anthony Pacella

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