Reaction vessel
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A reaction vessel is a type of glass lab item used to perform chemical reactions under controlled conditions.
Large scale reaction vessels are called reactors, and are ubiquitous in chemical industry.
Contents
General
Reaction vessels consist of cylindrical walled flask with round or pear-shaped bottom, with a glass cover containing 3, 4, 5 or more female ground glass joints of equal size, while other types have a large diameter central joint and 2, 3 or more smaller joints. They are typically made of borosilicate glass Unlike typical lab round bottom flasks, reaction vessels are thick walled, allowing them to be used in high vacuum or high pressure. The cover is held to the main body using a special metal clamp and a large PTFE ring is used as seal. Complex types of reaction vessels come with an outer jacket, where a working fluid maintains a desired temperature in the reaction flask. Other types have a stopcock on the bottom of the flask, to drain the reaction flask.
Special reaction vessels come with a digital controller, which allows you to adjust temperature, stirring, pressure, time, etc.
Schlenk flasks are sometimes called reaction vessels, though their use is different from that of chemical reactors.
Availability
Reaction vessels can be bought online from lab suppliers. They are not cheap.
Projects
- Synthesis of chemical compounds under pressure
- Synthesis of bulk amounts of compounds
- Photochemical reactions
