Answer to Question #95287 in Organic Chemistry for Stephen

Question #95287

A student was given a white solid for an unknown. its melting point range was 119-121°C. The student has previously worked with benzoic acid, and had observed that it was a white crystalline solid with a melting point of 122°C. (a) can the student conclude that the unknown is benzoic acid on the basis of her work to this? why or why not? (b) what additional experiment work should be done to verify this compound?

Expert's answer

a) No, because benzoic acid is not the only substance whith a melting point of 122 C and looks like white cristals.

b) The best solution is to get some spectra, such as IR and NMR spectra of the unknown.