Crap, that sucks, but to be honest, I am sure almost everybody here has had suck back ruin product at least once. I know I have seen it happen on
YouTube to a couple YouTubers. Take it as a learning experience. The best fail safe is a middle bottle used as a trap to catch the suck back and if
you wish an inverted funnel too, though I never use one. Also ammonia is quite hygroscopic and will draw water up the tube on its own, but as long as
your are producing gas it usually stays in the bottom of the tube.
Ceramic blanket could help, it would retain heat longer than foil, and possibly slow down the start of suck back. As for the vacuum question, I am not
certain if it would prevent suck back, but in theory is should help prevent it or at least slow it down. It would produce a vacuum on the receiving
flask side and if it is stronger than the vacuum produced on the reaction flask side it might. But you will want to break the vacuum before shutting
off the pump or you might still risk suck back. |