Recrystallisation is an important purification technique and is frequently used in synthetic chemistry. An impure solid can contain the desired product, some insoluble impurities and some soluble impurities. The technique of recrystallisation uses these differences in solubility to allow the pure product to be isolated in as high a yield as possible, and assumes that any soluble impurities have a greater solubility in the solvent used than the pure product. Using the correct solvent to separate out the impurities from the impure mixture is therefore essential.
1 The solid needs to be dissolved in the minimum amount of appropriate hot solvent (a). The aim is for the entire product to dissolve while any insoluble impurities remain undissolved.
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