[Plumbum]

Hi

Today I dried diethylether with natrium. I gave benzophenon to it and it turned light blue. ( I gave only a little benzophenon to it). But later when I came back I noticed My solution was not so blue anymore it suddenly only had a touch blue. How is that possible? Is my ether now dry ?

[Plumbum]

Natrium=sodium sorry

[subro]

I dont really know what happened. If it's any help, if you mix Na with NH3(l) you get a blue solution too (solvated electrons). Is it the same color?

[Plumbum]

No IT was much much lighter

[pgk]

Important: If benzophenone –sodium complex gets green during treatment, then there is still humidity in diethyl ether. This might be due to old sodium batch that has a colloid cover of NaOH on surface, or an ether batch plenty of peroxides that destroys benzophenone –sodium complex. You have to shake diethyl ether with Fe(II)SO4 and then add more benzophenone at sodium at 1/1 molar ratio.
Generally,benzophenone-sodium is suitable for THF but diethyl ether is better super-dried by sodium wire after peroxyde treatment.