Question: A compound you have prepared is reported in the literature to have a pale yellow color. When the substance is dissolved in hot solvent to purify it by crystallization, the resulting solution is yellow. Should you use decolorizing charcoal before allowing the hot solution to cool? Explain your answer.

Question

Question: A compound you have prepared is reported in the literature to have a pale yellow color. When the substance is dissolved in hot solvent to purify it by crystallization, the resulting solution is yellow. Should you use decolorizing charcoal before allowing the hot solution to cool? Explain your answer.

My answer: A decolorizing step should be performed only if the color is due to impurities, not to the color of the desired product, and if the color is significant. Since the literature describes the compound to have a pale yellow color, it is most probably not due to impurities but rather is characteristic of the compound. Therefore no decolorization is necessary.

Is this okay?

Thanks for the help.

Sheryl

sounds ok to me.

Answer 1

Well, Sheryl, your explanation seems pretty on point. Unless the literature suggests that the pale yellow color is indicative of impurities, there is no need to use decolorizing charcoal. After all, it's not like we're dealing with a fashion emergency here. No need to call in the charcoal to add some extra pizzazz to our compound's color! So go ahead and skip the decolorizing step, let that yellow shine, and rock your hot solution like it's NY Fashion Week! Keep up the good work, Sheryl!

Answer 2

Yes, your answer is correct. Since the literature reports that the compound has a pale yellow color, it is likely that the color is characteristic of the compound itself rather than being due to impurities. Therefore, decolorizing charcoal is not necessary in this case. Great job!

Answer 3

Your answer is correct. Since the literature describes the compound to have a pale yellow color, it is likely that the color is characteristic of the compound itself rather than being due to impurities. Therefore, no decolorization step is necessary in this case. Decolorizing charcoal is typically used to remove impurities that contribute to the color of a substance, so it is only needed if the color is significant and is caused by impurities.