How to assess substance purity of a solid from Melting Point

It has become common lab practice to measure the melting point of the solid product after completing organic syntheses.

But how can it help to assess the purity of your product?

It is simple. In preparation for your organic synthesis, you will need to research melting point data recorded for the pure sample of the compound you are trying to synthesize. This is available in many textbooks, in published scientific articles, and online.

By researching this, you will be able to simply compare this melting point range with that measured for your solid sample.

This method works since different solids have their own characteristic properties. If the molecular structure of your sample differs from that of the pure sample, your melting point data will be affected. To find out more you can access this theory page about melting points of solid.