20.1: Introduction
- Page ID
- 213828
Experimental Objectives: To extract the essential oils from various spices by steam distillation and characterize the structures using spectroscopy data.
Readings: Pages 502-506 from the laboratory textbook, as indicated in the syllabus.
Advance Preparation (one week earlier)
Your lab instructor will assign one of the following spices to each group:
a) Cinnamon
b) Cumin
c) Caraway
1. Weigh 2g of the spice and crack it into smaller pieces. There is no need to grind it into a powder or a paste, just smaller pieces.
2. Place the cracked spice into an erlenmeyer flask and add 15mL water. Swirl a few times.
3. Seal the flask with parafilm or aluminum foil and allow it to stand in the drawer for a week.