#ochemlab

I am currently taking an organic lab class over the summer and I have to say, I have been enjoying it very much. Yesterday, I did my first recrystallization and I left the lab smiling with contentment. If you are not familiar with recrystallization, it is basically the process of purifying a substance by: (1) boiling down the substance in a solution so that the substance dissolves (2) slowly cooling it down to reform the crystals in its pure form. It is an important processes in all industries, from food to pharmaceutical.The goal is to get rid of impurities within the solute. 

Our group of four members was given an unknown substance, letter W, and the purpose of recrystallization was to purify the compound given, find its unique melting point, and then identify what it was. Although it was a tedious, time consuming process, I was able to recover 71 % of my substance. There was pride in my heart because it was a lot more than a lot of people had obtained. The most enjoyable part has to be watching the crystals form in the cool ice bath. One by one, little snowflake like substances formed on the side of the test tube in the once clear solution and gently fell onto the bottom. After I collected the little snowflakes and dried them off, I was left with a white solid, almost identical to the substance I had first boiled. But it was not. It was more pure, more authentic, more simple. 

Is not science a funny thing? To find answers to the most complex questions, it is necessary to boil things down to the simplest, purest form. There is beauty in science that I have a great appreciation for, one that is closely intertwined with nature itself.