Ever since I've been here , we always had this basic air distillation prac for junior classes. It was hopeless .Steam would shoot out the end unless you literally held a match under the flask . At most you'd end up with a few drips of condensate out the end .
[attachment=3]Air_still_1024x1024.jpg[/attachment]
We were against using the quickfit stuff for juniors and as most of our labs don't have suitable hose connections ,using water cooling wasn't an option.
A while back , I found some big old Liebigs in the storeroom . I filled one up with water via a hose and then put a Rubber dropper bottle teat over the hose fitting . A few bits and pieces and success
[attachment=2]old condenser.JPG[/attachment]
I used a bit of hose to connect the Liebig to the flask so there was plenty of safe movement and minimal chance of glass breakage .
The Westlab Unistoppers also have plenty of "give" in them to add extra wiggle-room.
[attachment=1]collection and capped end.JPG[/attachment]
[attachment=0]Fittings.JPG[/attachment]
Teacher used it in class and said it worked a treat . The water in the Liebig jacket had enough cooling capacity to easily run for 10-15 minutes on a spirit burner collecting 20-30 mls of distillate . well and truly enough to demonstrate distillation process .
The teacher said the kids could see and feel the transfer of heat energy and also as the body of water became so hot , she could discuss the idea of using running coolant water to prolong the distillation .
But she said although it worked well , it was large and was hard to fit on the benches .She also said she was nervous that the kids might brake the condensers.
Distillation for juniors
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Distillation for juniors
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- Posts: 825
- Joined: 15 Dec 2015, 10:49
- Job Title: Lab Technician
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Re: Distillation for juniors
So a bit of head scratching and I come up with a simple version. Its just a glass tube inside a larger tube . The hardest part was cutting the large glass tube .
[attachment=1]easy condenser.JPG[/attachment][attachment=0]close up.JPG[/attachment]
It worked too , pulled 20mls of distillate from it before the water got too hot . Perhaps starting with cooler water might help .
Teacher likes this as its much simpler and the risk of damage to expensive glassware is almost gone.
EDIT: Sorry about the pics /text alignment . The forum is doing something funky at the moment
[attachment=1]easy condenser.JPG[/attachment][attachment=0]close up.JPG[/attachment]
It worked too , pulled 20mls of distillate from it before the water got too hot . Perhaps starting with cooler water might help .
Teacher likes this as its much simpler and the risk of damage to expensive glassware is almost gone.
EDIT: Sorry about the pics /text alignment . The forum is doing something funky at the moment
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Re: Distillation for juniors
That looks really good! I will have to keep it in mind if I'm asked for something similar. Thanks for sharing!
Re: Distillation for juniors
Creative, safe and functional - what a win!
- Anna Z
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Re: Distillation for juniors
Looks like a nice simplistic set up, always the best