Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Does anyone know what this is used for?

Does anyone know what this is used for?

Hockeydemon - 26-2-2014 at 21:07

I found this on Ebay and it's a rather odd and complicated piece of glassware. I was just wondering what you'd use it for?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glass-Distillation-Head-Dual-Condens...

ZIGZIGLAR - 26-2-2014 at 21:40

I can't see the photos on my work computer as they are "censored". But a custom distillation head with dual condensors would describe a whole host of variable reflux heads, as the reflux column has cooling as does the side shaft that redistributes the condensate.

Zyklon-A - 27-2-2014 at 10:37

Here is the picture:
[EDIT] fixed picture:

[Edited on 27-2-2014 by Zyklonb]

chemrox - 27-2-2014 at 11:04

I looked at the ebay listing too. It is not a variable reflux head because the stopcocks aren't there. I don't understand the joint in the middle of the main riser tube. I have a variable reflux, vacuum head in 14/x size. This is quite different. It's a custom made setup made to capture volatile components. But why the gas trap in the coolant line above the larger condenser? Why the oblique, upward pointed condenser? Why the second (higher) upright next to the thermometer tube? Maybe it was made in the glass shop and dumped because it didn't work? Or maybe it was designed and used for a special project...?? It appears to have been made to use different coolants than water (?)
Here's a WAG: maybe it was made to run an exothermic gas phase reaction....!??!

ZIGZIGLAR - 27-2-2014 at 13:02

Ok, having seen it, I have no idea haha

Zyklon-A - 27-2-2014 at 13:39

I have no idea what happened the first time I tried to post the picture. I was using a library computer, and it had a different operating system. When I got home and downloaded the image that I had posted....
Anyway, sorry to anyone (nine people apparently) that downloaded the broken image.

Dr.Bob - 28-2-2014 at 20:10

My turn. This is a modified buret, with a two way stopcock on the bottom and some sort of container on the top, with ball/socket joints on the top and both outlets. ANy guess what this was modified for? Gas generation or electrochemistry?

Here are some photos:

DSCN3947 buret stopcock small.JPG - 60kB

unionised - 1-3-2014 at 13:38

I think that's an automatic burette.

Lambda-Eyde - 1-3-2014 at 15:48

The first piece must be a variable reflux head probably with a (missing) special stopcock (or equivalent) that goes through the long tube before the split to the condensers.

ID a piece of glassware please (and practical use)

organicchemist25 - 2-3-2014 at 11:14

I bought this piece of glassware from a guy on my campus about a year ago and he said it was a custom made piece (he didn't know what it was called or used for either).

I know what the two pieces are that are fused together, but I am not really understanding what it is used for in a given experiment. I would also like to know the name of it, if there is one. I figure some members might be able to ID it for me and explain the general, desired function.

jwpa17 - 2-3-2014 at 16:18

Dr. Bob - as unionised said, it's an automatic burette - it can be rapidily refilled through the bottom, extra connection, to a precise level, as set by the take-off at the top. Thus, you can do lots of samples with minimal time
You only need to read the final volume.

Dr.Bob - 2-3-2014 at 19:31

Thanks, I thought I had seen everything, but I have never seen an auto-buret like this, but that makes perfect sense. Thanks to unionized and jwpa17 for their input. I'll have to find some of the other stuff I have that I can't figure out what it is and post more of it. Thanks. The more I learn, the less that I seem to know.

the condenser condenser thing

quantumchromodynamics - 8-3-2014 at 10:05

organicchemist25 - that is truly strange, it is a condenser condenser, a combo fractional condenser with a reflux condenser in parallel. Maybe for increasing the number of reflux events per loop? Cool looking though...

thesmug - 8-3-2014 at 10:14

Quote: Originally posted by organicchemist25

I bought this piece of glassware from a guy on my campus about a year ago and he said it was a custom made piece (he didn't know what it was called or used for either).

I know what the two pieces are that are fused together, but I am not really understanding what it is used for in a given experiment. I would also like to know the name of it, if there is one. I figure some members might be able to ID it for me and explain the general, desired function.

Dean stark trap?