Discover the Chemistry of Making Molecules to Benzyl Peroxide and More

[PrudensOptimus]

Hello :D


How do chemists make molecules such as those in commercial products id est benzyl peroxide?



-Thanks!

 

[TriTertButoxy]

Generally, to make commercial chemicals in small quantities, chemists mix naturally found crude chemicals (chosen wisely) in their labs, and let the mixure react. The crude chemicals are chosen based on the hundreds of (mostly organic) reactions they have learned and on their intution of how these molecules behave in various environments.

To make large-scale amounts of chemicals used in commercial products, the chemists report their recipe to chemical and mechanical engineers who then construct chemical plants better suited for large-scale production.

 

[PrudensOptimus]

So how do you make in small quantities:

(1). 2.5 percent Benzyl Peroxide?

 

[Gokul43201]

I hope you're not trying to make it and put it on your face!

 

[PrudensOptimus]

One day if I'm good enough I might test it on someone who has acnes


But seriously, how do chemists do it.

 

[muadib2k]

They start with several "basic" molecules that have various regions on them that they can modify (i.e. double bonds, triple bonds, functional groups) and then they sequentially react those basic compounds together to make more complicated structures (the proper order of reactions is crucial, as well as the conditions such as pH, water content, etc.). Most reactions are not 100% perfect (and do not go to 100% completion, there's an equilibrium to some extent) and so chemists must also screen and separate the final product to increase its purity.

 

[PrudensOptimus]

How do they determine the chemical formula for Benzyl Peroxide?

 

[3trQN]

From the name?

Experimentally there are many methods for finding chemical formulae. Some of the more advanced technical methods involve using mass spectrometers to analyse the proportions of molecule fragments, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and other spectroscopic analysis techniques, X-Ray Crystallography, chromatography.