A simple and rapid chemical test to differentiate between ethanol and isopropanol
if ur chemicals are pure, you can use the boiling points....even you can depend on their characteristic smell but not a scientific way to use it always since it is against GLP.
Yes, using lucas reagent. Since the difference between the two alcohols are their degrees, ethanol is primary while isopropanol is a secondary alcohol.
If you have a refractometer you could measure the refraction index of both, thats fast, easy and cheap.
thanks all for your helpful answers ......... I need this test for the undergraduate students in the lab so I need a simple and rapid test ......... I think Lucas test could help me ........ thanks again
If you perform the oxidation reaction with these alcohols (ethanol and isopropanol) then you get the acetaldehyde and acetone respectively and then proceed for characteriztion.
They can be treated separately with potassium dichromate solution. Both ethanol and isopropanol can turn the orange color of dichromate into green Cr(3+) color. Acetic acid formed via the oxidation reaction bears a distinctive smell of vinegar. In contrast, acetone without any characteristic smell is formed from isopropanol.
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