You will use two drying agents to remove water from the organic solution. Add
just enough anhydrous sodium sulfate to the ether solution so that it no longer clumps together but swirls freely. Swirl the flask for a minute or two to complete the drying process. Decant the ether solution from this drying agent through a cotton plug in a funnel and collect the solution in a dry 125 mL Erlenmeyer flask. Add 10 mL of ether to the sodium sulfate left behind, swirl the mixture, and decant this liquid through the funnel into the 125 mL flask. Next, add just enough anhydrous magnesium sulfate to the ether solution so that it no longer clumps together.