The comparison of the polarity between acetone and ethyl acetate

The analysis of the physical properties of acetone is related to polarity, which is essential for various chemical operations. Acetone and ethyl acetate are both often used by our generation, but the polarity of them must be carefully observed.

For acetone, its molecular structure contains carbonyl groups, which are highly electronegative, causing the electron cloud to be biased towards the carbonyl oxygen atom, making the molecule polar. And the carbonyl groups of acetone are methyl groups on both sides, and the structure is relatively simple, and the polarity is concentrated, so it has a certain polarity.

As for ethyl acetate, it also contains carbonyl groups, but the carbonyl group is connected to acetyl at one end and ethoxy at the other end. The oxygen atom in the ethoxy group is connected to the ethyl group, and the ethyl group is the power supply group, which partially cancels the electronegative effect of the carbonyl oxygen atom, so that the molecular polarity is slightly weaker than that of acetone.

The evidence of the experiment is that in the method of thin-layer chromatography, silica gel is used as the stationary phase, which is a polar material. In the mobile phase, acetone has a stronger polarity and interacts more with the silica gel stationary phase, and the sample point migration rate is smaller than that of ethyl acetate; while ethyl acetate has a weaker polarity and interacts weakly with the stationary phase, and the sample point migration is relatively fast.

In addition, in terms of solubility, acetone can be miscible with water in any ratio, because its polarity is similar to that of water, and it is Although ethyl acetate is soluble in water, its solubility is limited, which also proves that its polarity is weaker than that of acetone.

In summary, the polarity of acetone is stronger than that of ethyl acetate. In chemical practice, solvent selection and separation, it is necessary to understand the difference in polarity between the two in order to move properly and everything goes well.