Home > Organic Chemistry > Introduction to Reactions and Mechanisms

What is the purpose of melting an organic sample with a small quantity of sodium analysis prior to analysis?

Answer 1

This is the classic sodium fusion test.......for QUALITATIVE analysis of halogens, sulfur, and nitrogen in an organic compound.........

Try this link

Better, your librarian should be able to source you this reference..........

Gower, R.P.; Rhodes, I. P. J. Chem. Educ. 1969 , 46 , 606.

Articles that appear in #"Journal of Chemical Education"# are for both the student and the teacher; they are usually exceptionally good.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Nicholas Antonuccio

The purpose of melting an organic sample with a small quantity of sodium prior to analysis is to convert any nitrogen present in the sample into sodium cyanide, which is then easily oxidized to sodium cyanate. This process helps in the determination of the nitrogen content in the organic sample through the Kjeldahl method. Additionally, melting with sodium can also help in the decomposition of organic compounds, facilitating subsequent analysis techniques such as combustion or elemental analysis.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.