0.75 mL of acetic acid and 1.20 mL of isopentyl alcohol were added to a round bottom flask. Four drops of concentrated sulfuric acid was carefully added to the flask before being refluxed in an air condensing distillation apparatus. The solution was boiled for 15 minutes and then the organic layer of the collected liquid was poured back into the round bottom flask and boiled for another 15 minutes. The process was repeated one more time for a total reflux time of 45 minutes. The solution was then cooled to room temperature and poured into a centrifuge tube with 1 mL of water. The solution was mixed and the bottom layer was removed to waste. 1 mL of sodium bicarbonate was used to rinse the solution and the aqueous layer was removed again. Then 1 mL of sodium chloride was used to rinse and the aqueous layer was again removed. Calcium chloride spheres were added to the solution and then the dry solution was moved into a tared vial were the odor was observed. Lastly, an IR test was performed to determine the purity and identity of the isopentyl acetate.
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