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Introduction
Purpose
Materials
Procedure
Results and Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion
Error Analysis
Practical Application
Further Research
Works Cited
Acknowledgements

Conclusion

Extraction Procedure

  • Of the three solvents, ethyl acetate and hexane were the easiest to evaporate following extraction, and ethanol was the hardest to remove
  • Ethanol performed poorly following extraction, due to its non-polar and polar ends, and is not a good alternative to hexane
  • Ethyl acetate, however, is an acceptable alternative to hexane as it yielded a comparable amount of oil, and is possibly a more natural and sustainable method of jatropha oil extraction

Optical Density (OD) Procedure

  • Higher OD readings are an indication of contaminants in the oil. Based on the readings, the Hexane and Ethyl acetate methods outperform Ethanol extraction.
  • The ethanol extraction had a tendency to foam during pipeting, a further indication of dissolved impurities.