Ethyl Acetate: Alcohol, Sulphuric Acid and Sodium Acetate Distilled

Ethyl acetate (acetic ether) is a fragrant solvent that boils at about 77 °C. Clark's method, given in Thorpe's Dictionary (1912), mixes alcohol with an equal volume of sulphuric acid, cools it, stirs in dried sodium acetate and distils. The distillate stands three days over potassium carbonate, is filtered and distilled again on a water bath. The picture: our diagram.