ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LANEY COLLEGE
CHEM 12A INSTRUCTOR: S. CORLETT
Version 20151021
Preparation of Acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Reading Experiment 11B in Pavia (5th edition). Review all of the Techniques and material found in the
Required Reading section for this experiment.
Prelab
Make an entry in your Laboratory notebook for this experiment. Include your Name, the Date, a Title for the
experiment, and a brief Outline of the procedure that you will perform (see below). For this experiment,
include the Chemical Equation for the reaction that you are performing (below). Also, you should make a
Reagent Table to show the amounts of reagents that you plan to use (see the Laboratory Syllabus for an
example). Note that you do not need an entry in the Reagent Table for the product, acetic acid. Determine
which reagent is the limiting reagent and then calculate the Theoretical yield of the product, acetaminophen.
All of the above should be done prior to setting foot in the laboratory!
Procedure
Follow the procedure in Pavia 5th edition, Experiment 11B (Semi-microscale Procedure). (Remember, you
should have a brief outline of this procedure in your prelab so that you should not have to read the textbook
once you have entered the laboratory). As you perform the experiment, it is important to record in your
notebook the actual amounts of reagents that you use and the actual procedure that you perform, including any
deviations from your outline or the textbook. Cover your final crystallized product and store it in your drawer
to let it dry until the next week, then determine your product’s yield and melting point.
To Complete the Experiment – Partial Report
Weigh the dried, recrystallized product and calculate your percent yield. Turn in your final product in a labeled
vial (see p. 598 in Pavia for what to put on the label - also add the date). Write a Conclusion about your results.
Include in your conclusion the percent yield from your reaction and be sure to comment on the appearance and
quality of your product. Answer the questions at the end of the experiment (1 through 6, p. 88)
