Question

Like many other organic solvents we will use this semester, ethanol is flammable and caution needs to be exercised when heating ethanol on the hot plate. What precaution should always be taken when heating solvents on the hot plate?

Answer 1

Answer:

See explanation

Explanation:

A flammable solvent refers to a solvent that catches fire easily. The precautions to be taken when working with flammable solvents are;

1) heat the solvent at a low to medium hot plate setting.

2) if you need to boil the solvent, use a condenser rather than a flask or beaker without a cover.

3) make sure that the hotplate is larger than the vessel containing the mixture that is being heated.

4) do not use strong oxidizing agents