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DIY condenser

learningChem - 15-2-2013 at 20:20

learningChem - 15-2-2013 at 20:21

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learningChem - 15-2-2013 at 20:22

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Quite Clever

radagast - 15-2-2013 at 23:14

With a little more work, you can turn that into a setup for microdistillation.

http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/equipment/mi...

learningChem - 15-2-2013 at 23:42

Thanks for the link radagast! That looks interesting. Now I need to practice making T joints...

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reflux version of the condenser - pic attached.

[Edited on 16-2-2013 by learningChem]

Doc B - 16-2-2013 at 05:46

Won't the plastic in contact with the glass fail upon being heated by the incoming vapor?

radagast - 16-2-2013 at 07:07

Good point; might have to use some kind of heat-resistant plastic and epoxy for those areas.

On an unrelated note, if you used a larger centrifuge tube, you could just pack the tube with small ice cubes without needing to circulate water through it. This could be useful for small-scale distillation of low-boiling chemicals.

learningChem - 16-2-2013 at 09:57

Doc B

Yes, I thought that could happen. But notice that the (blue) plastic that surrounds the hot glass tube is in contact with cold water too. I'm guessing the temperature in that area can't get too high, and it (no doubt) is lower than the temperature of the vapor.

I've used the condenser to distill water mixtures, and to distill toluene and it did work flawlessly. It would be interesting to test it at higher temperatures though.

radagast,

Yes, that may be another option. I don't know if I can get bigger centrifugue tubes than the one I have though... (I didn't see them at the shop, but maybe I'd need to ask). (Also, a potential problem is all the ice melting?)

chemrox - 16-2-2013 at 22:42

A lot of work for a readily available object.

Bot0nist - 17-2-2013 at 05:51

Yes, but nothing is quite as rewarding as making your first flammable spirits from white wine, in a home-rigged condenser! Your bringing me back. Ahhh, nostalgia. Back when I had to be resourceful, because I had no resources!

Good job on the little project learningchem. That little guy might work for some small scale, slow distillations of fairly tame solutions. Now, save up and get a couple 30cm boro condensers and a ground glass setup. Then it all really opens up to you.

Best of luck.
The Bot.

learningChem - 17-2-2013 at 09:45

Quote:

A lot of work for a readily available object.

Well...Bending the glass takes two minutes at most. And making a few holes in a piece of soft plastic takes a couple of minutes too. The only 'hard' part is making the holes a bit smaller than the glass tube diameter, so that the fit is tight.

Bill of materials :

Centrifugue tube - $0.40
25 cm glass tube - $0.40
2 connectors for aquarium tube - $0.20

I don't think small condensers are readily available here, though they may be in other parts of the world =P

learningChem - 17-2-2013 at 09:48

Bot0nist

Thanks for your message =] - And yeah, I'll probably get a 'real' distillation kit in the future.

Fluorite - 5-11-2020 at 09:23

I love it *•* I can buy a big neon light tube maybe I can make a condenser since I can't buy anything but I'm a little concerned about the mercury in the lamp I don't want to distill nitric acid and get a poisonous mercury Nitrate solution

Fyndium - 5-11-2020 at 10:02

Quote: Originally posted by learningChem

I don't think small condensers are readily available here, though they may be in other parts of the world =P

If China ships there, you have the worldwide selection at your disposal for few bucks. Only countries they don't like to ship are like Iraq and Somalia, they even ship North Korea.

Ubya - 5-11-2020 at 14:13

Quote: Originally posted by Fluorite

I love it *•* I can buy a big neon light tube maybe I can make a condenser since I can't buy anything but I'm a little concerned about the mercury in the lamp I don't want to distill nitric acid and get a poisonous mercury Nitrate solution

you won't get any mercury nitrate, neon tubes have tiny beads of mercury+mercury vapour. As you break the sealed tube the mercury vapour will just diffuse away, visible mercury beads will just roll out the tube.

Quote: Originally posted by Fyndium

Quote: Originally posted by learningChem

I don't think small condensers are readily available here, though they may be in other parts of the world =P

If China ships there, you have the worldwide selection at your disposal for few bucks. Only countries they don't like to ship are like Iraq and Somalia, they even ship North Korea.

in 7 years things probably changed for learningChem

Fyndium - 5-11-2020 at 14:34

Ah, my bad. I always forget to check the date.

On the other hand I'm the archeologist who digs up 18 years old topics if they match the context if I find one by search instead of making new thread.