The lab begins with the reflux of the reaction to form an ester followed by several extractions of an organic layer. To purify the ester, the compound is dried by gravity filtration with a drying agent, distilled by simple distillation and recrystallized. The aldol condensation reacts in a test tube and the solute is collected by vacuum filtration and recrystallized. The esterification procedure was carried out first. To begin the lab, the heating mantle was set to 6 and the hot plate heat was set to a low level. In a round bottom flask, 6.1 g of benzoic acid and 21 ml of MeOH were added into the flask. Once this was added to the vial, 2ml of sulfuric acid was added and carefully poured down the sides of the vial. It was noted that after the addition of the sulfuric acid, there was heat production in the flask. The contents were stirred and a boiling shaving was added to the flask. The bottle was connected to the cover by a clamp. The water then passed through the condenser and connected to the round bottom flask to begin to flow back the contents of the flask. The mixture was heated gently under reflux for one hour. While the esterification reaction was at reflux, the aldol condensation procedure was carried out. The hot plate was turned towards the washes to be performed and during this laboratory, it was important to ensure that no aqueous layer remained in the organic layer. This is important when the final product is distilled in an airtight condenser (without water flow). The temperature would have become high enough that the water would have distilled before the final product or caused the glassware to break due to the temperature difference occurring in the facility. A better yield could have been obtained when drying the product, which would have facilitated some loss of product if an aqueous layer remained in the organic matter.