Using Electrolysis of Mashed Sodium Chloride to Separate Compounds in Organic Chemistry

Using Electrolysis of Mashed Sodium Chloride to Separate Compounds in Organic ChemistryYou may not have heard of electrolysis of molten sodium chloride, but chances are that you have come across it at some point during your career as an organic chemistry tutor. Chemists use electrolysis to separate compounds that are compatible with each other and thus easier to handle for a student who is working on a research project.Electrolysis works through a process called an electrolysis cell. A vacuum is used in the cell, and an electrolyte (either sodium chloride or potassium chloride) is mixed with the cell. Once the fluid is in the cell, electrical current flows through the liquid until it comes out of the other side.I taught in a university that had a synthetic organic chemistry professor who used this process on a regular basis. Our class used electrolysis to separate nitrates and nitrites. These two compounds occur naturally in the plant kingdom. Nitrate and nitrite act as natural prese rvatives in fruits and vegetables and can cause allergies if they come into contact with the skin.Nitrates and nitrites are also used in the making of pharmaceuticals. If you want to learn more about the compound cysteine, here is one way to do so. Cysteine is a large constituent of collagen. It is what makes collagen harder to break down and helps keep it elastic.You can easily find out the chemical name for cysteine if you search for it online. In any case, you should be able to differentiate the two compounds as the terms nitrate and nitrite only mean one thing. Inorganic compounds that contain one or both of these chemicals are usually easy to isolate and work with.Now that you know that electrolysis of molten sodium chloride is used for separating compounds, it is time to see if it will make any difference in the way your students lab work. Remember that students take the lab tests that require working with complex organic compounds. Inorganic chemicals are much more difficult to mix with in the lab.In most cases, when using electrolysis of molten sodium chloride in the lab, students can complete their lab work in about three hours. This time, however, is usually much less than needed to complete the lab test, which means you will be up and back in the chair in about fifteen minutes. So, by using electrolysis to separate organic compounds, you can save your students' precious time while they are learning the subject.