Heating reactions to reflux

The term 'reflux' describes the process of heating and maintaining a reaction at the boiling point of the solvent. Whilst a reaction can in principle be heated and held at any temperature, heating to the solvent boiling point is much simpler to achieve compared to holding at a specific temperature below the solvent boiling point. As a result, refluxing of reactions is by far the most commonly employed method for heating a reaction.

Purpose of a reflux

The principle of the reflux operation is to safely provide a controlled amount of heat to the reaction, while ensuring that the solvent does not boil off. This is achieved by fitting a reflux condenser to the reaction vessel, so that evaporating solvent is condensed and returned to the reaction flask.

The heating of a reaction provides additional energy to the mixture, which increases the