Trimyristin was isolated from nutmeg, and produced myristic acid. The trimyristin was recrystallized two times to collect it in the highest purity. The percent yield of the second recrystallization (83.29%) is higher than percent yield of the first recrystallization (71.88%). The melting points of the trimyristin after the first and second recrystallizations indicate the difference in purity between them. The melting point of trimyristin after the first recrystallization is 52-55 ºC, which is lower than the theoretical melting point of 56-57 ºC. A lower melting point indicates that there's are more impurities in the compound. The melting point of the trimyristin that was twice recrystallized also has a more narrow melting point range of 1 ºC, which demonstrates the homogeneity and purity of the substance. The melting point of myristic acid was observed at 53-54 ºC. The purity of the myristic acid is shown by the narrow melting point range. The theoretical melting point of myristic acid is 54.4 ºC. The myristic acid formed in this experiment is pure because it is close to this value.
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