Project 4: A New Arrangement
Isomerization of Carvone
Introduction
In Project 3, you isolated a sample of carvone from a natural source (spearmint oil). Upon exposure to acid and heat, carvone undergoes an interesting reaction in which the molecule rearranges into carvacrol (Figure 1). Note that the acid simply behaves as a catalyst, and carvacrol is just an isomer of carvone.
Figure 1. Under the influence of acid and heat, carvone will rearrange to carvacrol.
Project 4 Objective
In Project 4, you will perform this reaction on your sample of carvone. You will fully characterize the product by IR, GC-MS, and NMR in order to confirm the identity and purity of your product.