Overall, the techniques used to analyze the sample proved effective at confirming that
both reactants and products were present in the sample. The NMR and GC data were helpful at
indicating that the product n-butyl acetate was presented in a higher concentration than the
reactants. The NMR data also helped confirm other impurities, such as acetone. The IR data
significantly confirmed that the ester n-butyl acetate was present. The techniques used to obtain
pure n-butyl acetate from the distillation of the reaction mixture acetic acid and 1-butanol did not
prove to be effective. The modified Dean-Stark apparatus did not remove as the azeotrope
containing the water effectively. Some water may still have condensed back into the reaction
mixture creating an equilibrium and thus stopping the reaction from moving forward and
producing 100 % pure n-butyl acetate. For future work, a liquid-liquid extraction could have
been used to isolate pure n-butyl acetate from the reaction sample.