During a solvent extraction, a student lost track of which layer was the aqueous layer and which was the organic layer. what simple, non‑destructive test could be used to determine which layer is which? ask the instructor if a supercritical extraction on the sample can be performed. add a little of distilled water to see which layer the water adds to. obtain a sample of the solution in the separatory funnel and utilize nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (nmr). obtain a sample of the solution in the separatory funnel and utilize infrared spectroscopy (ir).