why do we use glycerol bath instead of water bath in melting pt determination?

if glycerol were no available, what can we use instead? suggest 3 liquids.
1. paraffin oil? right?

One reason is that glycerol boils close to 300 C and that is much higher than water. Boiling points would be much hard to obtain if they were above 100 and water was used.

Oil is a good alternative for both melting and boiling point determinations.

We use a glycerol bath instead of a water bath in melting point determination because glycerol has a higher boiling point compared to water. The boiling point of glycerol is around 290 degrees Celsius, while water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. This higher boiling point allows us to reach higher temperatures during the melting point determination.

If glycerol is not available, we can use alternative liquids that have higher boiling points than water. One suitable alternative is silicone oil, which has a boiling point of around 350 degrees Celsius. Another option is mineral oil, which has a boiling point around 200-300 degrees Celsius depending on its composition. However, it's important to consider the compatibility of these liquids with the substances being tested, as they may have different effects on the samples compared to glycerol.

Paraffin oil is not a recommended alternative for melting point determination because it has a relatively low boiling point, typically around 150-200 degrees Celsius. Its lower boiling point may limit the range of temperatures achievable during the determination, leading to inaccurate results. Therefore, it is not an ideal choice for this purpose.