Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: homemade method for freeze-drying SEAgel?
math
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 101
Registered: 21-7-2006
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

smile.gif posted on 26-7-2012 at 15:47
homemade method for freeze-drying SEAgel?


Hello,

I'd like to know if there is any method available to home experimenters and limited resources to successfully make SEAgel.

The freeze-drying part looks particularly expensive for a home lab, otherwise everything else should be pretty affordable :)


Thank you
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Diablo
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 113
Registered: 17-9-2011
Member Is Offline

Mood: Autodidactic

[*] posted on 27-7-2012 at 03:51


Heres a video for the freeze drying part http://benkrasnow.blogspot.com/2012/01/freeze-drying-jello-g...



View user's profile View All Posts By User
math
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 101
Registered: 21-7-2006
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 27-7-2012 at 16:09


Thanks for the link.

So, from my limited understanding, the freeze-drying part of making SEAgel (see patent in the 2nd link) does nothing but just drying the gel in frozen conditions?

If so, wouldn't a sealed container in which vacuum was created and containing nothing but SEAgel be enough to obtain the end product? Or does this process need a continuous vacuum in order to be effective and achieve the same result?
View user's profile View All Posts By User
ChemGradStudent
Harmless
*




Posts: 5
Registered: 23-7-2012
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 28-7-2012 at 02:42
Freeze Drying/lyophilizing


Freeze drying is simply an easy way to remove water, it also makes the product light and fluffy as opposed to a when you rotovap it down which will leave you with a more dense product.
You can think of freeze drying as a sort of vacuum distillation/sublimation. You really need some sort of cold surface (-78C range) for the water to condense onto, it both increases effectiveness and keeps water out of your vacuum pump.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
ChemGradStudent
Harmless
*




Posts: 5
Registered: 23-7-2012
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-7-2012 at 06:33


Appologies, I didn't really answer your question. Yes, you need continuous vacuum. The lyophilizing process takes a day and a very low vacuum, so a good pump will need to be used for the duration.
View user's profile View All Posts By User

  Go To Top