In: Chemistry
In an experiment involving the oxidation of Borneol to camphor, the camphor produced began melting at 146C but was fully melted at 176C. Does this indicate impurities and which of these do I use as my experimental melting point?
Yes it may indicate possible impurity in the camphor. If you are finding a range in melting point you can either present as a range 146 - 176 oC or if it is mandatory to provide a single value, then it is better provide the temperature at which it melts completely i.e. 176 oC. It may be also possible that the range in melting point you observed is due to sublimation of camphor, and mistaken as melting due to change in shape of the camphor particle in the melting point apparatus. If you want re-measure the melting point accurately, purify your camphor by sublimation and check the melting point. The theoretical melting point of camphor is 174-179 oC.