Immerse your chemistry class in the world of organic chemistry! Science scholars isolate acetaminophen from an over-the-counter sample during an intense and interesting lab. Groups use many different separation and analysis techniques to determine the identity and formula of the substance.

Concepts

prescription drugs, organic chemistry, solvents, chromatography, spectroscopy, filtration, solubility, acids and bases, melting points, empirical formulas

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the lab as a summative assessment or lab practical for advanced chemistry students
• Simplify the procedure to focus on just the chromatography and melting point data if you are pressed for time or lacking equipment

Classroom Considerations

• The full lab experiment requires an extensive list of equipment, including NMR and mass spectrometer
• Pupils should be very experienced in chemical separation methods and high-level data analysis

Pros

• The experiment exposes learners to many useful analysis techniques in a real-world setting
• Teacher's guide contains printable materials and excellent tips for conducting the lab
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.11-12.3