Last Update 29/ 06/ 2000
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On the first half of the 19th century Justus Liebig (1803-1873) improved the elemental analysis technique developed by Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794).
In this method the hydrocarbon sample of known mass is completely burned in order to give carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The gases are passed through a tube with calcium chloride (CaCl2) to absorb water followed by a tube with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to absorb carbon dioxide in the form of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). The weight increase in the first and in the second tube gives the respective amount of water and carbon dioxide necessary to calculate the percentage of carbon and hydrogen in the sample, as explained in the following books:
Introduction to Organic Chemistry; A. Streitwieser Jr. and C.H. Heatchcock; Macmillan Pub. Co. Inc, (1976), p 36.
Química Orgânica, N.L.Allinger, M.P. Cava, D.C. de Jongh, C.R. Johnson, N.A. Lebel and C.L. Stevens, LTC-Livros Técnicos e Científicos Editora S.A. (1976), p9.
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