Question

Ethyl acetate is another common extraction solvent. To substitute ethyl acetate for dichloromethane in an experiment, what would you need to know about the solvent? What key feature of a liquid extraction step would you need to change if using ethyl acetate instead of dichloromethane?

Answer 1

Dichloromethane is more when compared with ethylacetate. When you are doing experiment, particularly extraction, you need to know whether you r compound is more polar or less polar.

If organic compound is more polar, dichlromethane extraction is good. But

For example: Carboxylic acid + ester, you need separate this mixture by extraction. when you do extraction with DCM and water. Carboxylic acid also Evrything goes into dichloromethane layer. You can separate between them. But if you take ethyacetate solvent only ester goes into the organic layer.