[vande060]

i am supposed to describe in detail. how to separate dimethyaniline and anthracene

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethylani…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracene

i was thinking put the mixture of anthracene and dimethylaniline in a separatory funnel, add ether. then add a acidic aqueous solution. the dimethylaniline is attracted to the acidic aqueous layer, and the anthracene is happy to stay in the ether layer. the ether layer is drawn off, and the ether is evaporated to yield anthracene. the aqueous layer is drawn off and basified to yield a precipitate of dimethylaniline.

i was not sure about this, since i have never described the extraction of a substituted amine. dimethylaniline should be attracted to the acidic layer because it is a base even though it cannot accept a proton right?

[discodermolide]

I think you may be on the right lines here, do the experiments and see what happens.

[vande060]

i need to give an explanation of this extraction for a test problem, i wont actually preform this experiment during the course of my lab class. does what i have written above look like it would satisfy the extraction question?

[sjb]

Why do you feel dimethylaniline is unable to accept a proton?

[vande060]

Why do you feel dimethylaniline is unable to accept a proton?

i guess it can, it would then be a tertiary ammonium cation right?

R3NH+

[jmendoza]

i think you are right.