Student Comments Spring 2008 for Synthesis of Chemiluminescent Esters 

The procedure says to evaporate the solution by blowing air.  The procedure doesn't state it, but you can attach a rubber tube to the air spout.  Make sure to turn it on slowly so that you don't blow away any of your solution from a powerful blast.  -Melanie Bonifacio

When recrystallizing, if it looks like there are brown chunks at the bottom of your beaker (in addition to your product), heat the solution on a hot plate for a little bit to get rid of it (supposedly it is Br residue).  Make sure you don't leave it on too long however since you will burn off your product and be left with nothing  --Kristina Snyder

When evaporating your ether, you can secure the air hose above the beaker with a clamp.  If you secure the air hose so that air blows directly into the center of the beaker, the liquid will flow in a way to maximize evaporation and minimize evaporation time.  If you keep the air at a level where the solution is not splashing on the sides of the beaker, your product will collect at the bottom of the beaker rather than on the sides so it will be easier to transfer the solid to another container. --Sarah Perz

When you are finally ready to add your two solutions to watch the "glow" be sure to do this in a dark room. It is much easier to see the difference in color and brightness when you're in the complete darkness. Also, although we didn't try this in lab, possibly heating the solution when it begins to dim may make it brighter again or prolong the brightness. - Becki H.

I found a really efficient way to evaporate the solution with the way I tipped my beaker. I tilted the beaker slightly so all of the solution was on the corner of the beaker (between the bottom of the beaker and the side of it) and I blew the air on the inside edges of the beaker (to minimize the solution from getting blown out of the beaker). This allowed for all of my crystals to clump together on one exact spot of the beaker. It allowed me to scrape nearly all of the crystals out of the beaker and helped my percent yield. --Patrick Hughes

The glow from the chemiluminescent esters was very cool but it doesn't last very long and they didn't have great intensity at times. It seemed like swirling the mixture in the beaker only made the luminescence dim. So if you want to get a good look at it, I would suggest not swirling and just leave it be while you take pictures and stand in awe. Also, to increase the intensity, perhaps we could increase the amount of materials used in Part I of the lab. However, since this is an expensive lab, you'd want to make sure not to waste any of it and be very precise in your calculations. --Megan Wasz

When your doing the glowing process upon adding the 3% hydrogen peroxide you should give a little shake to mix the two which will help your product glow.--Kendall Moore

Be sure not to add the oxalyl chloride all at once.  Follow the procedure carefully, adding it dropwise; also be sure to stir vigorously between additions but don't stir to the point in which you create too much vapor. --Allison Kolman

It might be a good idea to bring a stopwatch with you into the "dark room." That way you can time the luminescence and can compare values with other students conducting the experiment. -Andrea Dellaria

To make my chemiluminescent ester glow even brighter I shook it a bit when I was adding the hydrogen peroxide! Be sure add each the right amount of solutions to the mixture and if it is dropwise make sure to be precise!  Tamara Pike