Does anyone have any hints on the best way to clean glass of parrafin and wax etc. We have an experiment using both with borax - hand cream, a big greasy mess to wash up. Any ideas would be welcome.
thanks
suzyr
cleaning wax etc
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Ocean Breeze
- Posts: 798
- Joined: 01 Jun 2006, 10:00
- Job Title: Lab Manager
- State/Location: NSW
Hi Sue,
I think they used to do the same prac here, but not since I've been on the job.
However, our Yr 8's make sunscreen at the beginning of each year, very similar ingredients - paraffin, beeswax, wax crayon (for colour) and zinc oxide. It was a nightmare to clean the small beakers used afterwards, until someone worked out that salty water would help (ie. like sunscreen comes off in the surf).
Still a lot of work, though. Then I suggested we collect baby food jars and heat it in those instead of beakers, which is how we do it now. Use a hot-plate, not bunsens, for obvious reasons, and each student can take their own jar home, if they want. I ask for clean baby-food jars through the newsletter, or from staff with littlies at home.
I do most of the weighing and measuring into the jars first (much less mess that way), and the students add the zinc. They stir it with a paddle pop stick, then throw it away. I don't dread that prac any more, now!
Cheers,
Liz
I think they used to do the same prac here, but not since I've been on the job.
However, our Yr 8's make sunscreen at the beginning of each year, very similar ingredients - paraffin, beeswax, wax crayon (for colour) and zinc oxide. It was a nightmare to clean the small beakers used afterwards, until someone worked out that salty water would help (ie. like sunscreen comes off in the surf).
Still a lot of work, though. Then I suggested we collect baby food jars and heat it in those instead of beakers, which is how we do it now. Use a hot-plate, not bunsens, for obvious reasons, and each student can take their own jar home, if they want. I ask for clean baby-food jars through the newsletter, or from staff with littlies at home.
I do most of the weighing and measuring into the jars first (much less mess that way), and the students add the zinc. They stir it with a paddle pop stick, then throw it away. I don't dread that prac any more, now!
Cheers,
Liz
