Experiment 02: Synthesis and characterization of benzocaine IntroductionBenzocaine is described and used in industry as an external local anesthetic; It is constructed of a white crystalline powder. The advantage of anesthetics such as benzocaine is that the action can be reversible where use is followed by complete tissue recovery without any potential permanent damage being caused. Purpose The purpose of conducting this experiment was to synthesize and characterize for the preparation of benzocaine via a fishcer esterification reaction using aminobenzoic acid together with ethanol. The product was also precipitated from solution to achieve a pH of 8. The secondary purpose was to esterify the reaction into an equilibrium reaction catalyzed via the addition of acid shown below: Experimental reagents used: 4-Aminobenzoic used : 3.03 g (0.018 moles) Ensure that gloves are always worn when handling strong acids and bases as part of the benzocaine preparation experiment. 4-aminobenzoic acid (3.0 g, 0.022 mol) was suspended in a dry round-bottom flask (100 cm3) followed by methylated alcohol (20 cm3). With particular care, concentrated sulfuric acid (3.0 cm3, 0.031 mole) was added. Immediately after assembling the condenser, the components in the flask were gently swirled to mix the components. It is necessary to ensure that the concentrated sulfuric acid and 4-aminobenzoic acid reagents are not pooled in the ground glass joint between the condenser itself and the flask. A heating mantle was used to heat the mixture to the boiling point and then further allowed to reflux gently for a build-up time of forty minutes. After the duration of forty consecutive minutes, the rou...... middle of paper ......shore and taking into account the boiling point and volatility, the retention time of Gc will increase, based on the chain that salt, so in this case the pentyl derivative would go first and then the butyl derivative. Conclusion The percentage yield obtained was 70% from the Fischer esterification reaction, which is evaluated as a good production of produced yield since it is known that the reaction is reversible where conditions such as reagent concentration, pressure and temperature could influence the extent of the reaction. These white crystalline crystals were tested for impurities by conducting a melting point analysis and acquiring spectroscopic data such as IR, HNMR and CNMR spectra to confirm product identification. These spectroscopic methods and melting point analysis confirmed that the white crystalline crystals were benzocaine.