a. What is the maximum amount of crude RDX the student can purify given this volume of acetone in order to maximize the % recovery? b. A student reported 65% recovery from the process of recrystallization after using 5.0 mL of acetone and the mass that can be used with that volume (part a). Is 65% the maximum % recovery of RDX using the volume you calculated in part a? Show your work.
Cyclonite, also known as RDX (Research Department Explosive), is used to make Semtex, a
plastic explosive, when mixed with PETN. Semtex was used in the bomb that brought down
PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988 killing 270 people. RDX is typically
recrystallized from acetone. 1 gram of RDX is soluble in 100 mL of cold acetone (0 0C) and
in 25.0 mL of boiling acetone. A student performed recrystallization starting with using 5.0
mL of acetone.
a. What is the maximum amount of crude RDX the student can purify given this volume of
acetone in order to maximize the % recovery?
b. A student reported 65% recovery from the process of recrystallization after using 5.0 mL
of acetone and the mass that can be used with that volume (part a). Is 65% the maximum
% recovery of RDX using the volume you calculated in part a? Show your work.
As per the given information-
1 g RDX : 100 mL cold acetone
1 g RDX : 25 mL boiling acetone
As the purpose is to attain maximum recovery, one must use boiling acetone.
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