jpsmith123
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Drying Molecular Sieve in a Microwave Oven
I'm wondering, has anyone ever tried to dry any flavor of zeolite in a microwave, and if so how well did it work?
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solo
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Reference Information
The microwave technique: A new route for high dispersion of inorganic salts onto supports
F. -S. Xiao1, W. Xu1, S. Qiu1 and R. Xu
Journal of Materials Science Letters Volume 14, Number 8, page 598-599, January, 1995
Excerpt
.........In comparison with other methods such as ionexchange, impregnation and monolayer dispersion, the dispersion of inorganic salts onto the
surface of supports by the microwave method exhibits the following features: (i) high loadings of inorganic salts may be dispersed onto the surface of
supports;
(ii) microwave treatment time is very short; generally, treatment of 10 min can achieve high dispersion; (iii) the sample preparation is very simple,
avoiding stirring of solution, drying and calcination; and (iv) inorganic salts can easily be dispersed in porous solids not having ion-exchange
capacity, such as silicalite-I zeolite.
Attachment: The microwave technique-A new route for high dispersion of inorganic salts onto supports.pdf (236kB)
This file has been downloaded 1207 times
It's better to die on your feet, than live on your knees....Emiliano Zapata.
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jpsmith123
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Hi Solo,
Thanks for the interesting paper. Although it's not primarily concerned with drying, it mentions a drying effect, and doesn't mention any
incompatabilities.
When my material arrives I guess I'll give it a try.
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chemrox
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physics of drying zeolites w/MW
This paper may have useful information as well.
Attachment: MW-dehyd-zeos.pdf (578kB)
This file has been downloaded 1536 times
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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MilordB
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I have done it many times but you should pay attention as it heats up to 400-600°C easily. So put the zeolite in the microwave for a couple of minuts
and the stire. and add a couple more minutes untill you reach the desired temperature. you see it is classic chemistry stirring and heating.
It always works.
Milord B
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Texium
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Does anyone here have practical experience using a microwave oven to dry molecular sieves? If so, what is you usual procedure for doing so? There
seems to be little practical information (e.g. how long to leave them in the microwave to reach acceptable dryness) available. The papers posted in
this thread are interesting, but of little help from a practical standpoint.
[Edited on 9-30-2016 by zts16]
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zed
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Sound like a good idea, but I would attempt to do it while applying vacuum. Get that water out of there.
Not unlike, the procedures recommended to dehydrate Phosphoric acid to PolyPhosphoric acid.
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aga
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The question is easily answered by the OP conducting a few very simple experiments.
The results of the OP's experiments will/would be interesting.
As per usual, there probably will be no follow-up, no experiments, no photos, no write-up, no data, no Effort of any interest at all.
I'll give it until christmas before declaring it 'YAPOS' (acronym).
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Cryolite.
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I guess I can provide my experience...
Using borosilicate glass when drying sieves is an absolute MUST. Sieves can easily reach a dull red heat in the microwave, and pretty much anything
short of borosilicate will crack under the immense thermal stress. In addition, it is important to only place one or two layers of sieves in the
microwave at a time: any more will lead to increased heating times, and since sieves don't conduct heat well, a higher risk of cracked glassware
results.
Other than that, a procedure which has worked for me in the past is to microwave for 45-60 seconds on HIGH in a small evaporation dish(1 kW
microwave), allow the sieves to cool, and continue to microwave in 30-40 second increments until no more water condenses on the side of the
evaporation dish. Then, microwave for 30 seconds twice more, with a cooling break in the middle. Typically, this equates to 6 or 7 cycles in total to
dry about 25 grams of sieves. This works very well to produce sieves for drying ethanol.
However, if you prefer a "set and forget" procedure, I don't think anything can beat placing sieves in a small oven set to above 250 C for a couple
hours.
[Edited on 1-10-2016 by Cryolite.]
[Edited on 1-10-2016 by Cryolite.]
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j_sum1
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Quote: Originally posted by aga  | The question is easily answered by the OP conducting a few very simple experiments.
The results of the OP's experiments will/would be interesting.
As per usual, there probably will be no follow-up, no experiments, no photos, no write-up, no data, no Effort of any interest at all.
I'll give it until christmas before declaring it 'YAPOS' (acronym). |
I think you are being a bit harsh here aga.
The question was a good one and not something I had thought of. zts evidently did a search and found this old and not totally useful thread. It was
worthwhile asking for recent experience before attempting it -- especially since he is sans-lab at the moment.
I have some 3A sieves that I have not had occasion to use at this point. I think when I do, I wil try the microwave method -- if only because I will
have a microwave in my lab but not an oven that reaches that temperature. I think I'll make a drawstring bag out of a fire blanket and suspend it on
some kind of frame. That way I won't risk busting anything expensive.
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