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Question

The question is, why do we use sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and dimethyl sulphate in the following experiment?

In the synthesis of anisole, a two-necked round-bottomed flask equipped with a reflux condenser and a dropping funnel. Place a solution of sodium hydroxide in water and also pure phenol in the flask, and stir the mixture; cool the warm mixture to about 10°C by immersing the flask in an ice bath. And then place dimethyl sulphate in the dropping funnel. Add the dimethyl sulphate dropwise slowly whilst stirring the mixture vigorously. Then reflux for 30 minutes, with stirring, in order to complete the methylation. Allow to cool, add water, transfer to a separatory funnel, remove the lower layer, and wash once with water, twice with dilute sulphuric acid, and then with water until the washings are neutral to litmus.

Add some sodium chloride to each washing as this will facilitate the separation of the

two layers. Dry over anhydrous calcium chloride or magnesium sulphate, and distil from

an air bath. Collect the anisole at 151-154°c

Answer 1

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