What This Document Is
This document is a lab report from a Chemistry I RecLab (CHEM 1105) course at New Jersey City University, specifically detailing Experiment 5: “How Much Aspirin Can I Make?”. It represents a student’s investigation into reaction stoichiometry, limiting reagents, and percent yield in the context of synthesizing aspirin. The report details the planning, execution, and analysis of an experiment designed to produce acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) from salicylic acid and acetic anhydride.
Why This Document Matters
This report is valuable for students enrolled in introductory chemistry courses, particularly those with a laboratory component. It serves as a model for structuring and presenting experimental results, and demonstrates the application of theoretical concepts – like molar ratios and limiting reactants – to a real-world chemical synthesis. Instructors can use it as an example of expected student work. Understanding the principles demonstrated in this report is foundational for success in more advanced chemistry topics.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This document is a *report* of an experiment, not a guide *for* performing the experiment. It assumes prior knowledge of basic chemistry principles and laboratory techniques. It does not provide detailed safety instructions beyond mentioning the hazards of specific chemicals and equipment. It also focuses on a specific experimental setup and may not be directly applicable to variations in procedure or available resources.
What This Document Provides
The full document includes: an introduction to reaction stoichiometry and limiting reagents; a description of the experimental procedure (referenced, but not fully detailed in this preview); stoichiometric calculations related to the aspirin synthesis; a table presenting data collected during the experiment; and an analysis of the results, including a discussion of percent yield and potential sources of error. It also includes a discussion of safety precautions related to the chemicals used. This preview provides a high-level overview of the experiment’s purpose and the concepts it explores, but does *not* include the full lab procedure, detailed data tables, or complete calculations.
