[Maria]

Hi, I'm a spanish girl and I need your help because in my country there are many forums but nobody helps.  I don't speak well English, I'm sorry for this, my question is: Why do we wash inorganic salts with alcohol? Thank you, and please, answerme.

[eugenedakin]

Hello Maria,

As a general rule, inorganic compounds are often soluble in water, but much less soluble in other solvents such as alcohols.  Washing inorganic salts will: a) remove water in the inorganic salt, b) wash away very little inorganic salt (which may be your product from an experiment), c) can crystallize inorganic salts if a small amount of water is present, and d) will tend to dissolve organic salts leaving your inorganic salts with less contamination.

I hope this helps you out,

Sincerely,

Eugene Dakin Ph.D., P.Chem.

[GCT]

Hi, I'm a spanish girl and I need your help because in my country there are many forums but nobody helps.  I don't speak well English, I'm sorry for this, my question is: Why do we wash inorganic salts with alcohol? Thank you, and please, answerme.

yeah, it's all part of a purification process.