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ERIC Number: EJ1043243
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Oct
Pages: 3
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: N/A
The Isomerization of (-)-Menthone to (+)-Isomenthone Catalyzed by an Ion-Exchange Resin
Ginzburg, Aurora L.; Baca, Nicholas A.; Hampton, Philip D.
Journal of Chemical Education, v91 n10 p1748-1750 Oct 2014
A traditional organic chemistry laboratory experiment involves the acid-catalyzed isomerization of (-)-menthone to (+)-isomenthone. This experiment generates large quantities of organic and aqueous waste, and only allows the final ratio of isomers to be determined. A "green" modification has been developed that replaces the mineral acid catalyst with an acid-form ion-exchange resin, AMBERLYST 15DRY. This "green" modification dramatically reduces the quantity of waste, eliminates the hazards of concentrated acid, and allows for the isomer ratio to be monitored as a function of time. The pedagogical impact of the experiment has been significantly improved through examination of the effect of catalysis on the position of the equilibrium and on the kinetics of the reaction. As part of the experimental procedure, students generate their own hypothesis regarding the position of the equilibrium using molecular modeling of (-)-menthone and (+)-isomenthone. Students then test their hypothesis by performing the reaction with different catalyst quantities and at different temperatures. By pooling their data, students can examine the effect of both catalyst quantity and temperature on the position of the equilibrium, and the rate of the reaction.
Division of Chemical Education, Inc and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A