Ferric Chloride Lab Report

To developing a testable experiment, the organic compound ferric chloride assign to react with small amount of each seven compounds in the individual test tube. The seven compounds are methyl salicylate, salicylic acid, aspirin, acetaminophen, phenacetin, menthol, and benzyl alcohol.

Methyl salicylate contains functional groups of ester, phenyl, alcohol, benzene, and carboxylic acid. Carboxylic acid, and phenyl, alcohol, and benzene group are functional groups present in the salicylic acid. Aspirin has functional groups of carboxylic acid, ester, and benzene. Acetaminophen has a phenyl, alcohol, benzene, and amide. Phenacetin has benzene, ether, and amide groups. Menthol only has alcohol functional group. Benzyl alcohol has functional group of phenyl, alcohol, benzene.

Based on each observation, working on a testable hypothesis.

Hypothesis is always more than one, it required to making testable hypothesis until the confirmation of the experiment. This lab is to test the seven compound with ferric chloride to confirm that which ferric chloride reacts with. The reaction identifies by compare the intense color change with the experiment control which the control only contains water, ferric chloride, and ethanol. The control of this experiment was color yellow, test tube number 8. If color of liquid change to yellow, it means that FeCl3 not react with compound. When the color changed to other color, wasn’t yellow, it means the functional groups react with the ferric

chloride.
Discussion
In the experiment, addressed small amount of each seven compounds to individual test tube that contained water, and 95% of ethanol. When added two drops of 2.5% ferric chloride in the first four test tubes contained methyl salicylate, salicylic acid, aspirin, and acetaminophen; all the liquid in test tube change color to either dark purple, dark purple, orange, and blue. Based on this result, FeCl3 maybe react with either phenyl, alcohol, benzene, ester, carboxylic, or amide functional groups. when added FeCl3 to the fifth test tube contained phenacetin, the liquid change to yellow. Based on this result and the functional group of phenacetin described in the introduction, it hypothesis that FeCl3 might react with ester, phenyl, alcohol, or carboxylic functional groups. When added FeCl3 to the sixth test tube that contained menthol, the color change to yellow. It hypothesis that FeCl3 might react with ester, phenyl, or carboxylic group. When added FeCl3 to the seventh test tube that contained benzyl alcohol, it changed to cloudy yellow mixture. Based on this result, it only confirmed that part of the hypothesis that FeCl3 did reacted with phenyl group.
Based on the third test tube, FeCl3 might react carboxylic acid, and ester group, but cannot contradict from the rest experiment. From this result, it hypothesis that there is some error exist. The error was using the spatula to stir the aspirin, the test tube wasn’t clean enough, mix aspirin with other compounds.