Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
PTFE HF distillation apparatus
Hi everyone, just wanted to show off my HF generator I just finished. I got a 200ml PTFE reaction vessel on amazon, it is a perfect choice for this
application. I used 10x12mm (ID, OD) tubing and drilled a hole 10.8mm into the side of the vessel and heated the tubing to force it into the hole.
After heating again the tube expands to its original size and makes a very tight seal. The same thing was done to attach the condenser since adhesives
& sealants aren't much of an option for PTFE. The reactor was wrapped tightly in copper wire to distribute the heat evenly and placed in a sand
bath. The receiving flask is PP with a tightly sealing lid which is charged with water prior to running so it converts directly to HF acid.
I did my first test run with 50g of CaF2, I only got about 50% yield, the rest was still in the reactor but after 3 hours I finally shut it down. I
added ice to the remaining sludge to cool and dilute it, it makes an excellent rust cleaner!
And please save me the horror stories and how you don't know anybody who will work with HF... I know it's nasty stuff but it's not about how dangerous
it is, its about how you treat it.
 
[Edited on 9-17-2022 by Gammatron]
|
|
|
karolus28
Hazard to Self
Posts: 51
Registered: 14-4-2019
Location: EU's Brazil
Member Is Offline
Mood: zgrzyt
|
|
now this is something
Hi, please read about exif data.
|
|
|
Fery
International Hazard
Posts: 1026
Registered: 27-8-2019
Location: Czechoslovakia
Member Is Offline
|
|
Wow thanks for sharing !!!
So you reacted CaF2 with concentrated H2SO4? And produced liquid 100% HF, nice. Did you use something like ethylene glycol cooled to -10 C or even -20
C for the circulation in the condenser?
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
I do have Ethylene glycol in it in the form of antifreeze, this is mainly just so I can use a UV light to detect leaks. It is actually made from a
repurposed water fountain so it only gets down to about 6 C. If I had a way to go lower then I would but it is sufficient to condense HF, also the end
of the tube is submerged in the flask in the ice bath so that captures whatever makes it through. HF vapors are thick and I didn't see any escape the
whole time.
|
|
|
Fery
International Hazard
Posts: 1026
Registered: 27-8-2019
Location: Czechoslovakia
Member Is Offline
|
|
Well done with the ice cooling. I think HF is lighter than N2 as well O2. Molar mass HF = 20 g/mol, molar mass N2 = 28 g/mol, molar mass O2 = 32
g/mol. But that's only theory, the only important thing is that you did well functioning apparatus, nice experiment and condensed HF !!!
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
Thanks for the compliments! I spent a long time trying to come up with a safe and effective method and while this could use improvements, a bubbler in
particular, I think it is a good start.
|
|
|
Tsjerk
International Hazard
Posts: 3032
Registered: 20-4-2005
Location: Netherlands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Mood
|
|
Nice, what are you going to do with it?
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
The main purpose is to make UF4 in my quest to refine uranium from ore but since I have it I'd also like to make some other cool compounds just for
show. Two in particular are WF6, the densest gas and possibly some day when my skills are more advanced, SbHF6, the strongest acid.
|
|
|
j_sum1
Administrator
Posts: 6333
Registered: 4-10-2014
Location: At home
Member Is Offline
Mood: Most of the ducks are in a row
|
|
I would have guessed UF6 to be denser than WF6.
I admire your courage to work with HF. And your levelheadedness and lab skills to do so safely.
HF remains off my to-do list for the forseeable future.
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
UF6 is actually solid at standard conditions although it does sublimate. If I could find a synthesis that's doable in my lab then it may become a
future project. I also could still be wrong about WF6 bring the densest gas as Wikipedia states that it's "one of the densest gasses"
|
|
|
Metallophile
Hazard to Self
Posts: 87
Registered: 23-3-2018
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
This is awesome! I just bought a nice Fluorite sample from ebay, but I think I'll just leave it in the jar, and live vicariously through Gammatron's
posts.
|
|
|
Herr Haber
International Hazard
Posts: 1236
Registered: 29-1-2016
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by Gammatron  | | Thanks for the compliments! I spent a long time trying to come up with a safe and effective method and while this could use improvements, a bubbler in
particular, I think it is a good start. |
It's not something I would do but I really liked the simplicity of your aparatus.
I'm curious of what improvements you can come up with but at the same time I hope you dont need to much HF 
The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
Stuff like this makes me wonder the level of danger that I would consider too much lol. If HF isn't bad enough, I've also filled a scuba tank to 1000
psi by pouring in liquid nitrogen and screwing the valve on..
The main improvement this needs is a bubbler at the exhaust to remove any fumes that make it all the way through, which I have plans for. Also a
purpose made recieving flask since the one I am using in the picture is intended as my storage bottle. Other than that the apparatus performed
perfectly, I need to figure out a way to achieve higher yield without having this thing running all day long. Starting materials are cheap but I am
always short on free time to work on my projects.
|
|
|
Dr.Bob
International Hazard
Posts: 2750
Registered: 26-1-2011
Location: USA - NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
If you want to try ClF3, that would be exciting. Even my fluorine chemist friend Ed decided that it was too hard to work with after trying to use it
a few times for fluorinations (in monel equipment designed for fluorine work).
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
Well Mr Bob, you have enlightening me to something too dangerous to even consider working with.. but I will keep it in mind!
|
|
|
phlogiston
International Hazard
Posts: 1379
Registered: 26-4-2008
Location: Neon Thorium Erbium Lanthanum Neodymium Sulphur
Member Is Offline
Mood: pyrophoric
|
|
Very impressive, and I'm glad you do this and take the time to show it of here, so we can share in the joy of seeing these unusual experiments from
the safety of our computer desks. Thanks!
In another thread, you mentioned you have 0.5 kg of NaF looking for a purpose. Would that not be suitable for the preparation of UF4 (so you don't
-have- to prepare HF)? I imagine UF4 would precipitate upon adding a suitable reductor to a solution containing NaF and hexavalent uranium.
[Edited on 20-9-2022 by phlogiston]
-----
"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
Actually that is a very good point that never even crossed my mind. Every paper I've read and demonstrations I've seen uses HF so that's just what I
thought was necessary. Cody's Lab used CuSO4 as a catalyst and then SO2 for the reduction. I'm not entirely sure the role of the CuSO4 because he's
the only case I've seen it used. Anyways, I think I will try the reaction with the NaF, would certainly be a much easier option.
|
|
|
6dthjd1
Hazard to Self
Posts: 74
Registered: 30-6-2018
Member Is Offline
|
|
what did the lab smell like whilst distilling?
|
|
|
Lionel Spanner
Hazard to Others
Posts: 168
Registered: 14-12-2021
Location: near Barnsley, UK
Member Is Offline
|
|
That's impressive! It's a great bit of engineering, being both simple and highly effective.
It just goes to show that even the most hazardous materials can be handled safely, as long you know what you're dealing with and you have the right
tools for the job.
|
|
|
Gammatron
Hazard to Others
Posts: 125
Registered: 30-8-2022
Location: Abandoned Uranium Mines
Member Is Offline
|
|
There was no smell, it was done in a fume hood. Even when I got up close to it to check the rate of distillate I didn't smell anything.
| Quote: |
That's impressive! It's a great bit of engineering, being both simple and highly effective.
|
Thanks! Came up with a lot of ideas on how to do this and while being the most expensive method just cause of the cost of the reaction vessel this was
by far the easiest and safest thing I came up with. This is due to do PTFE having complete corrosion resistance and no chance of introducing
contamination where steel and lead might have issues.
|
|
|
ErgoloidMesylate
Banned
Posts: 89
Registered: 8-8-2022
Location: Norad
Member Is Offline
Mood: Freedom of thought is priceless - You can't afford it
|
|
I recall doug 's lab doing ketene generation and one could wonder why he would try something so inherently dangerous, but then i found this:
https://patents.google.com/patent/CN1384813A/en
Cannula transfer and cannula filtering is used for lysergic synth Compressed air and remove co2
|
|
|
Texium
|
Thread Moved
12-9-2023 at 12:06 |
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
