Chapter 22, Problem 6RAT

Alkaloid salts are not very soluble in the organic solvent diethyl ether. What might happen to the free-base form of caffeine (an alkaloid) dissolved in diethyl ether if gaseous hydrogen chloride, HCl, were bubbled into the solution?

(a) A second layer of water would form.

(b) Nothing and the HCl gas would merely bubble out of solution.

(c) The diethyl-ether-insoluble caffeine salt would form as a white precipitate.

(d) The acid-base reaction would release heat, which would cause the diethyl-ether to start evaporating.

To determine

The correct option for the statement “Alkaloid salts are not very soluble in the organic solvent diethyl ether. What might happen to the free-base form of caffeine (an alkaloid) dissolved in diethyl ether if gaseous hydrogen chloride, HCl, were bubbled into the solution?”

Answer to Problem 6RAT

The correct option for the statement “Alkaloid salts are not very soluble in the organic solvent diethyl ether. What might happen to the free-base form of caffeine (an alkaloid) dissolved in diethyl ether if gaseous hydrogen chloride, HCl, were bubbled into the solution?” is option (c).

Explanation of Solution

Alkaloid salts are basically not soluble in water. Free-base from caffeine is water soluble as water is polar solvent but,as diethyl ether is nonpolar solvent,it does not get dissolved in it and if the gaseous HCl gets bubbled it defines that the salt gets formed. This produced salt is basically highly insoluble in the solvent diethyl ether and its precipitate gets collected as white precipitate.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the correct option for the statement “Alkaloid salts are not very soluble in the organic solvent diethyl ether. What might happen to the free-base form of caffeine (an alkaloid) dissolved in diethyl ether if gaseous hydrogen chloride, HCl, were bubbled into the solution?” is option (c).