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Author: Subject: Bad days in the lab or with glassware?
UnintentionalChaos
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[*] posted on 26-12-2011 at 11:09


Quote: Originally posted by DJF90  
Same thing goes for a sep funnel. Always pour your reaction mix from the flask to the sep funnel through a plastic funnel with a narrow enough aperture to catch the stirbar - result: no breakages upon shaking.


You can also just use a hard drive magnet to stick the stirbar to the flask wall when you pour.




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'In organic synthesis, we call decomposition products "crap", however this is not a IUPAC approved nomenclature.' -Nicodem
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Magpie
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[*] posted on 26-12-2011 at 12:22


make yourself one of these:

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=13156&...




The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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White Yeti
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 10:30


Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
make yourself one of these:

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=13156&...


Link not works...




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Magpie
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 14:03


Quote: Originally posted by White Yeti  

Link not works...


The link works for me. It takes me to a thread, where upon scrolling up I find my post with the picture of my stir bar retriever. If you still can't find it let me know and I will quote the whole post in response.




The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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White Yeti
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 17:37


Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
The link works for me. It takes me to a thread, where upon scrolling up I find my post with the picture of my stir bar retriever. If you still can't find it let me know and I will quote the whole post in response.


The link still doesn't work (for me at least). It takes me to a default page "the item you have requested cannot be found" type thing.




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Lambda-Eyde
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 18:05


It works for me. What browser are you using? I'm using Opera v. 11.50.



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Magpie
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 19:11


Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
Finding that I often wish I had one of these but am not willing to pay the $20 + postage, I made one of my own. Here's how:

* Buy 2 feet of 0.17"ID polyethylene tubing ($0.34)
* Buy one 3 foot piece of 1/16" steel rod (~$2)
* Buy one 3/16"OD x 1/2" long cylindrical neodymium magnet ($0.27) (Note 1)

1.Heat about 3/4" of one end of an 18" piece of poly tubing in boiling water to soften it, then force fit the magnet into it, leaving about 1/4" of the end of the tube open.
2. Fuse this end of the poly tube by heating it on a stove, working the end to a seal. Try not to overly heat the magnet as it will lose its magnetism if heated to 80C. (Note 2.)
3. Cut the steel rod to fit in the poly tube leaving about 1/2" of the tube end open.
4. Fuse the open end of the poly tube as before.

Notes
1. The economics are hurt here if you have to pay postage on the magnet like I did. This came to about $5.
2. It might be better to buy an undersize magnet, say 1/8"OD instead. That way you could slide the magnet in later after fusing the end to a seal, and wouldn't have to risk heating the magnet. These Nd magnets are tremendously strong.
[Edited on 23-1-2010 by Magpie]


stir bar retriever.JPG - 101kB




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White Yeti
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[*] posted on 31-12-2011 at 21:23


Quote: Originally posted by Lambda-Eyde  
It works for me. What browser are you using? I'm using Opera v. 11.50.


I'm using Safari version 5.0.5.




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[*] posted on 12-2-2012 at 14:23


Speaking about bad days with glassware, I was messing around, minding my own business when this happened:
IMG_0391 downsize.jpg - 119kB
I know soda lime glass crack under the slightest temperatire changes, but I ramped up the heat extremely slowly, bringing the water to a boil in 40 minutes. The whole bottom usually doesn't blow out when I'm this careful, it's the first time.

I guess the glass had some internal stress to begin with, oh well bad luck I guess.

I gotta get me som'o those polarizers next time:)




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[*] posted on 12-2-2012 at 15:04


Quote: Originally posted by White Yeti  
Speaking about bad days with glassware, I was messing around, minding my own business when this happened:
That doesn't look like glassware. It looks like a pickle jar. They are not known for their heat resistance.
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[*] posted on 13-2-2012 at 04:55


Quote: Originally posted by entropy51  
That doesn't look like glassware. It looks like a pickle jar. They are not known for their heat resistance.


Indeed, I use plain old mason jars to store chemicals, mix them or react them if they are only mildly exothermic, but I have stopped using them to heat/boil/react stuff in them if it might be a bit too intense. I have had jars fracture simply because I have removed them off the hotplate or water bath.

It is safer to boil or heat stuff in a proper borosilicate vessel, using mason jars or mayonnaise pots to heat/boil/react stuff is at your own risk, and if the vessel breaks, you lose your chemical you've worked on and run the risk of ruining your heating device at the very least.

Robert




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[*] posted on 13-2-2012 at 06:42


The other day I had a small incident in the lab. I performed the gas test for hydrogen on one reaction that was running, which consists of holding a lit splint to the test tube and listening for the pop. After the test, I blew out the splint and went to snuff out the glowing end on a piece of filter paper lieing nearby. I've done this many times without incident, but this particular paper immediately started crackling and burst into flames! I ran it over to the sink to extinguish it, and luckily nothing was damaged. The filter paper had been used earlier to filter nickel hydroxide from a solution containing potassium nitrate, and so had some residue on it. I think the KNO3 was the culprit.
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[*] posted on 13-2-2012 at 17:55


Quote: Originally posted by entropy51  
That doesn't look like glassware. It looks like a pickle jar. They are not known for their heat resistance.


Yes, but believe it or not, I tested one of these out one time to find the limits of these jars, and I was able to bring water to a boil (quickly) and sustain a boil for more than 20 minutes without it breaking.

I suppose you can get lucky sometimes. For the record, I never boil anything of considerable value in jam jars. In this case, I was extracting urea from fertiliser. I was boiling about 100mL of water mixed with approximately the same volume of fertiliser and ramped up the heat really REALLY slowly. I've had some instances where the glass gave a warning, cracked but didn't break completely. I was hoping for that, but instead the whole bottom blew off without warning.




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[*] posted on 15-2-2012 at 05:02


In my first high-school science class, the teacher made a huge point of how expensive the measuring cylinders were and how careful we had to be. One dude knocked over a 250ml, I turned to point and laugh, and stole his thunder by knocking over a 500ml one.

FML, that day.
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[*] posted on 15-2-2012 at 14:02


i hate glass and glass hates me back! i was cleaning a round bottom flask after a distillation when this happen...

picture0001.jpg - 44kB picture0002.jpg - 62kB

bad day indeed...

[Edited on 15-2-2012 by neptunium]




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[*] posted on 15-2-2012 at 14:22


:o:o:o:o

Hope to God it doesn't get infected.

[Edited on 2-15-2012 by White Yeti]




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[*] posted on 15-2-2012 at 14:24


this was last year in June ...went to the hospital no infection thanks! i am fine now...but it was a bloody mess



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sad.gif posted on 26-2-2012 at 19:11


Broke my 14/20 claisen adapter. I blame the Teflon tape I used. I have just read about it's problems with thermal expansion. As soon as the thermometer read >100°C it popped right off.



EDIT;
Damn neptunium, that's nasty.

[Edited on 27-2-2012 by Bot0nist]




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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 19:25


Holy crap, neptunium! :O

Any severed nerves? Any cool looking scars? :D
These kinds of photos are actually good to look at - one becomes aware of the dangers of handling glassware. I think we all tend to ignore that fact because glassware is smooth and cool to play with. This is an eye opener for some, a good reminder for others.


Bot0nist, was that one layer of tape or more? Was the tape covering the lower or the upper part of the joint?

[Edited on 27-2-2012 by Endimion17]




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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 19:33


Quote: Originally posted by Endimion17  


Bot0nist, was that one layer of tape or more? Was the tape covering the lower or the upper part of the joint?

[Edited on 27-2-2012 by Endimion17]


Only the top <sup>1</sup>/<sub>4</sub> was wrapped. One and a half layers.




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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 19:55


That's a shame Bot0nist, I broke a 250ml 24/40 flask a few days back--I flipped because it was totally my fault. The next day I got my glassware kit--and it was all a-ok :)



BOLD

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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 20:50


I broke a 500 mL retort after my 2nd nitric acid distillation with the thing about a week ago. There was a solid cake of potassium sulfate left and I was trying to break it up so I could get back to distilling some more nitric acid. The cake of course thumped up against the glass, which I over-estimated the strength of, and promptly broke. Next time, I'll be more patient and let the potassium sulfate dissolve in hot water. Looking back, I would have been better off just buying a 500 mL distillation setup.
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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 21:12


I was just doing a simple steam distillation, and as I removed the hotplate from underneath the erlenmeyer flask, the whole setup fell over! I had my ring stand twisted the wrong way! Everything proceeded to fall to the damn tile floor, and smash. My steam distillation head with vacuum takeoff smashed, my heavy wall Erlenmeyer, and the bottom portion of my fancy coil condenser. NOOOO! Everything was Chemglass! Expensive! Luckily my receiving flask was fine as well as my vigreux.

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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 21:15


Damn, that sucks. Happened to me once too, but I had a liter hot oil bath hit the floor with my glass! What a mess.



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[*] posted on 26-2-2012 at 23:42


Quote: Originally posted by neptunium  
i hate glass and glass hates me back! i was cleaning a round bottom flask after a distillation when this happen...



bad day indeed...

[Edited on 15-2-2012 by neptunium]



.....Holy fuck dude.... and you stopped to take a picture, are you serious?:P





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