When a reaction is complete, the reaction mixture is rinsed or "worked up" by adding an aqueous reagent of an appropriate pH to the reaction mixture in a separatory funnel. After you shake the funnel to thoroughly rinse the reaction mixture, the water-soluble products will be in the aqueous phase and all others will be in the organic phase. Click on the separatory funnel on the equipment rack and drag it to the round bottom flask. The reaction mixture should now be in the funnel. Now select the NaOH aqueous reagent and drag it to the top of the funnel to add it. There will now be two layers, the top being the organic phase and the bottom the aqueous phase. Click on the organic phase to extract the product and drag it to the cork ring on the lab bench. Perform a TLC measurement on the solution in the flask to confirm that it is the same product produced in the reaction.

Why did we add NaOH to this mixture? An important note: In Beyond Labz, the solvent system is 20% ethyl acetate in hexanes. Reactant and product molecules that are highly volatile (low boiling point and high vapor pressure) or very nonpolar.