If I have a mixture of benzoic acid and benzil, and. .

[mirandasatterley]

If I have a mixture of benzoic acid and benzil, and I add dichloromethane to it and extract it using sodium hydroxide, the benzoic acid reacts with the sodium hydroxide to form sodium benzoate, but what does the benzil react with. I know that its in the organic layer because it's neutral but does it react with the dichloromethane? and is there a mechanism for it?
Any help is appreciated.

 

[bomba923]

1) We say that benzil is nonpolar, not "neutral"
(Well, depending on how you define "neutral"; benzil is electrically neutral, but then so is benzoic acid, the other compound)

2) Adding aqueous NaOH to benzoic acid forms water, not sodium benzoate precipitate

3) Benzil need not chemically react with dichloromethane to dissolve in it.
Hence you can extract it after the benzoic acid dissociates into the basic aqueous layer

 

[ravenprp]

The benzil will not react with the dichloromethane in this scenario. It is likely that it will remain in the organic layer along with the dichloromethane. The reason for this is because benzil is a relatively unreactive compound and does not have any functional groups that would react with the dichloromethane or sodium hydroxide.

There is no specific mechanism for the benzil in this extraction process. It will simply remain in the organic layer and can be separated from the sodium benzoate using standard extraction techniques. If you are interested in the properties of benzil, you may want to look into its physical and chemical properties, as well as any potential reactions it may undergo under different conditions.

I hope this helps clarify things for you. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.