Diethyl ether is a commonly used solvent for GC analyses because of its low boiling point. In this experiment, why was heptane u
sed as the solvent instead? a. Diethyl ether will react with the alkenes that were formed in the experiment. b. Diethyl ether has a similar boiling point to that of the product. c. Heptane will not evaporate as fast as diethyl ether will. d. Heptane has a lower boiling point than that of diethyl ether.
A. Diethyl ether will react with the alkenes that were formed in the experiment.
Explanation:
Ethers such as diethyl ether dissolve a wide range of polar and nonpolar organic compounds. Nonpolar compounds are generally more soluble in diethyl ether than alcohols because ethers do not have a hydrogen bonding network that must be broken up to dissolve the solute.
