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alexleyenda
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[*] posted on 1-2-2014 at 19:48


You can continue to use the glassware, It may be cheap chinese glassware with some bubble in it, it is still borosilicate glass. I heated it gradually to 300°C for several minutes without problem. Just keep in mind that the risks of failures are higher. This glassware is especially sensitive to thermal shock and more fragile than good old pyrex/kimax glassware. Just remember not to trust it too much, if you have to do highly dangerous experiment where a failure could put your life in danger (such as synthesis of some "energetic material"), you should consider buying good quality glassware. (read this : http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=22554 ) The extra dollars are worth it. By the way, in general, good glassware can work safely in temperatures up to 250 + °C and can be pushed up to around 500°C for a short period of time if used properly and if you avoid thermal shocks. For the exact temperatures, look at the datas on corning's pyrex website. They should survive a 160°C thermal shock while I shattered an HST beaker after only a 60°C thermal shock.


[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]

[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 1-2-2014 at 20:07


Like alexleyenda said, even cheap glassware should be able to withstand >250-300°C easily, no need to use porcelain and steel containers for anything less than that.



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thesmug
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[*] posted on 1-2-2014 at 20:41


@alexleyenda None of my glassware has any (visible) bubbles in it, and I don't usually do very high temperature reactions anyway. I don't have intentions to make any energetic materials at this point, and that link has only further strengthened my opposition towards pyrotechnics/explosives. I will consider buying higher quality glassware if it becomes necessary.

@Zyklonb I knew that the glassware was able to withstand thermal stress, but 300C is much more than I expected. If I'm ever working with temperatures like that, I'm still going to use more thermally resistant containers just to be safe.

Also, somewhat off topic but, I have a large bottle/beaker type thing from a German scientific company (I can't remember their name right now, but their logo is an eagle) and I am not sure what kind of glass it is. Because of that, I am not trusting it with heat and have so far only used it for mixing large quantities. Is there any way to tell what kind of glass it is?
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alexleyenda
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[*] posted on 2-2-2014 at 09:51


You're lucky then, their flat bottom flask and side-arm flask especially tend to have bubble in them. Just in case, they're small, so look closely :p Anyways bubbles are just part of the problem, the glass is cheap, the one I shattered with only a 60°C thermal shock had no bubbles in it. Also, you'll have a hard time finding more thermally resistant containers than glass able to withstand a reaction, almost anything at such temperatures as 300°C will be rapidly attacked by acids and bases.

For the beaker, at my knowledge there is no way to know the type of glass only by looking at it. The only way I would see is maybe by finding it's refraction index by passing a laser through it and measuring the deviation but without professional material it probably won't be precise at all. Try to google it's model/serial number or something like that.

[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]
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thesmug
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[*] posted on 2-2-2014 at 10:24


Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda  
You're lucky then, their flat bottom flask and side-arm flask especially tend to have bubble in them. Just in case, they're small, so look closely :p Anyways bubbles are just part of the problem, the glass is cheap, the one I shattered with only a 60°C thermal shock had no bubbles in it. Also, you'll have a hard time finding more thermally resistant containers than glass able to withstand a reaction, almost anything at such temperatures as 300°C will be rapidly attacked by acids and bases.

For the beaker, at my knowledge there is no way to know the type of glass only by looking at it. The only way I would see is maybe by finding it's refraction index by passing a laser through it and measuring the deviation but without professional material it probably won't be precise at all. Try to google it's model/serial number or something like that.

[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]


Ok, I don't have any lasers that I could use so I guess I will just have to not heat it too much if at all. If any of my glassware does break (hopefully not while containing something dangerous) I will be sure to replace it with a higher quality version.
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 4-2-2014 at 11:50



Quote:

@Zyklonb, I recommend boiling the peroxide down because I did the test and found that very little decomposition occured so that is was not worth the struggle using other longuer evaporation techniques. I should test it again however to make sure I did no mistake as so many people on this forum tend to think it really decomposes a lot but I doubt I screwed something.


I will test this today (or a least some time this week), I've heard you and someone else say that the decomposition is much slower than most people think. If it is true, than it will certainly be worth the trouble. I'll post my results later.




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nannah
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[*] posted on 16-4-2014 at 06:56


Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda  

NaOH : hardware stores. Sold as drain cleaner, but often mixed with other things. I managed to find pure NaOH cristals at Home Hardware as a cleaning agent.
[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]


One question only. If the drain cleaner, like the one we use, is mixed with other stuff, what can you do? Extract the NaOH, or just go for it and you use it like it is?

The one we got here at home contains Sodium Stearat and NaCl other then NaOH.

Love, Nannah.

[Edited on 16-4-2014 by nannah]
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Zephyr
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[*] posted on 16-4-2014 at 11:19


I used to be able to get pure NaOH at Home Depot, but now I can only get a mix of NaOH, Al, and CuSO4 :(



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[*] posted on 16-4-2014 at 20:31


Questions:
What kind of chemistry do you want to do?
Is this your first time, or are you an old hat?

Greene




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[*] posted on 17-4-2014 at 09:05


Quote: Originally posted by Pinkhippo11  
I used to be able to get pure NaOH at Home Depot, but now I can only get a mix of NaOH, Al, and CuSO4 :(

What brand is that, Pinkhippo? I looked up Drano "professional strength" crystals and it doesn't have CuSO4 but it does have NaCl and NaNO3.

NaOH, Al, and CuSO4 crystals, if those are the only ingredients, are easy to distinguish by eye so maybe there is a way to mechanically sort them:

"Gold panning" - Put a small amount in a pie plate and gently tilt and tap the plate to try to separate the crystals by density.

Winnowing - Hit the bottom of the plate to make the crystals jump into the air and try to separate them by gently blowing on them.

Differential adhesion - Maybe a piece of duct tape (or other type of adhesive) would stick more to one crystal type than another. Possibly a rubber balloon rubbed on your hair could do the same thing using static charge.

Failing all these, maybe there is a non-polar liquid that could float off one type from another without dissolving the crystals.
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Artemus Gordon
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[*] posted on 17-4-2014 at 09:20


If you have an Ace Hardware store nearby, their website says you can have Rooto lye delivered for pickup at the store. They also can get Floweasy Professional Strength Drain Opener, which claims to be "virgin sulfuric acid". (The MSDS says it is >94.19% H2SO4 by both vol. and wt., but doesn't say what the other <6% is.)

[Edited on 17-4-2014 by Artemus Gordon]
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thesmug
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[*] posted on 18-4-2014 at 09:32


Greene, are you asking about what I want to do in chemistry?
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ElizabethGreene
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[*] posted on 20-4-2014 at 18:25


Quote: Originally posted by thesmug  
Greene, are you asking about what I want to do in chemistry?


Yes! It seemed like a good place to start instead of making assumptions on your behalf. :)




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thesmug
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[*] posted on 20-4-2014 at 18:32


Oh well I've gotten pretty situated at this point. Thank you for trying to help, though!
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[*] posted on 21-4-2014 at 04:56


While I have some fine italian made glassware, but when I heat things up in an old microwave (one option), I use jars previously used for food.

I have had only one instance where the glass cracked when I boiled down a salt that left crystals on the glass surface just above the solution level. Not exactly a disaster either, as the jar separated just above the solution line, but was easily removed. After a few runs, I frequently use a new jar!

Save the good glassware for pictures and experiment with the free stuff!
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[*] posted on 22-10-2014 at 12:18


most of my glasseare is from HST. I havn't had any issue with their glassware of yet. Granted I'm not doing anything highly exciting. I have gone up to 150C without any damage to the glass. I have abused their test tubes. So as of right now I have never really had an issue with their stuff. But maybe I am just lucky?
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[*] posted on 1-11-2014 at 22:39


Labglass is the shit. their glass is made from heavy walled tubes, so really thick and durrable. Compared to my Kimax which in all honesty is garbage and over priced..
As far as chems, Chem saver inc. is chill and have an amazing selection. Hi Valley Chemical out of yes....! Utah of all places, and of course Ebay.
Im Super green myself and my suggestion is any chemical you can make yourself do it. Its part of the learning process, and its fun to accomplish a reaction no matter how elementary it may be to some. Everything you do in chemistry prepares you for the next step and teaches you about gaining the ability and confidence to handle those chemicals with notably more hazards.
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gardul
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[*] posted on 2-11-2014 at 09:49


Quote: Originally posted by alexleyenda  
You can continue to use the glassware, It may be cheap chinese glassware with some bubble in it, it is still borosilicate glass. I heated it gradually to 300°C for several minutes without problem. Just keep in mind that the risks of failures are higher. This glassware is especially sensitive to thermal shock and more fragile than good old pyrex/kimax glassware. Just remember not to trust it too much, if you have to do highly dangerous experiment where a failure could put your life in danger (such as synthesis of some "energetic material"), you should consider buying good quality glassware. (read this : http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=22554 ) The extra dollars are worth it. By the way, in general, good glassware can work safely in temperatures up to 250 + °C and can be pushed up to around 500°C for a short period of time if used properly and if you avoid thermal shocks. For the exact temperatures, look at the datas on corning's pyrex website. They should survive a 160°C thermal shock while I shattered an HST beaker after only a 60°C thermal shock.


[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]

[Edited on 2-2-2014 by alexleyenda]


HST will survive every day abuse of 150C or right around there. it is what I use for most basic things.. But as everyone else said, if you are doing something that is on the iffy side and need to heat about 250C use pyrex. no need to risk your life just to save a few dollars.. Remember it not just you you have to concider. If you have family or neighbors too.

[Edited on 2-11-2014 by gardul]




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