Consider the following pair of compounds:
Compounds A and B are both sparingly soluble water. In dilute potassium hydroxide solution, compound B is very soluble but compound A is still sparingly soluble. Show how you can exploit this difference in solubility to separate these two compounds from a mixture.

• A. 1. Add dilute KOH solution and ether to the mixture.
  2. The ether layer will contain A and B will dissolve in the dilute KOH solution.
  3. Separate the layers and evaporate the ether layer to get A in pure form.
  4. Extract the aqueous layer with ethyl acetate.
  5. Evaporate the ethyl acetate layer to get B in pure form.
• B. 1. Add dilute KOH solution and ether to the mixture.
  2. The ether layer will contain A and B will dissolve in the dilute KOH solution.
  3. Separate the layers and evaporate the ether layer to get A in pure form.
  4. Acidify the aqueous layer with dilute HCl solution and extract again with ether.
  5. Evaporate the ether layer to get B in pure form.
• C. 1. Add dilute KOH solution and ether to the mixture.
  2. The ether layer will contain B and A will dissolve in the dilute KOH solution.
  3. Separate the layers and evaporate the ether layer to get B in pure form.
  4. Acidify the aqueous layer with dilute HCl solution and extract again with ether.
  5. Evaporate the ether layer to get A in pure form.
• D. These compounds cannot be separated easily.

Answer: (B)