Organic Chemistry Melting Point questions
1) For what reason(s) would someone be interested in determining the melting point (mp) range of a compound?
2) What would be the effect of an insoluble (immiscible) impurity (e.g., sand or charcoal) on the mp range of an otherwise pure compound?
3) Three vials, labelled A, B & C, contain substances with nearly identical mp ranges. What specific experimental steps could you take to prove that the contents of A, B and C were different substances, and what observations would lead you to that conclusion?
4) Too rapid heating of a sample during mp range determination causes an inaccurate observed mp range. Exactly how would the observed range compare with the true mp range if you made this error, and explain why this would be so.