WeaponsRx
Harmless
Posts: 35
Registered: 29-12-2014
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Piranha solution
I need a very sufficient way of cleaning my Büchner funnels PTFE filter holder which of course piranha juice is the most effective but highly
explosive lol.... So Id rather pass on that juice and hear any suggestions you guys may have? A good cleaner before placing into the autoclave...
Thanks guys!
|
|
BromicAcid
International Hazard
Posts: 3253
Registered: 13-7-2003
Location: Wisconsin
Member Is Offline
Mood: Rock n' Roll
|
|
Perhaps Piranha Solution Alternative would have been a better title for this thread. Princeton University has a good no-nonsense guide for piranha
here:
http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/labsafetymanual/cheminfo/...
Proper precautions taken, i.e., a dry filter so no extra solvent around and no gross organic contamination, the risk of explosion can be significantly
mitigated.
The old-standby of dichromate/sulfuric acid, while not known for being as temperamental, does pose long-term health issues (and potential metal
contamination of the filter). I have also used KOH/EtOH which does have the advantage for you that you don't have to worry about it eating your
filter. Additionally. I have soaked them in concentrated ammonia solution for some stubborn stains. Concentrated nitric is also an option.
|
|
Chemosynthesis
International Hazard
Posts: 1071
Registered: 26-9-2013
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I agree with all of the above BromicAcid has said. For some stubborn stuff, I have generally used a base bath of sodium hydroxide in water overnight,
except for jointed glassware, fritted funnels, or if glassware was to be left over a weekend, both of which meant a fuming nitric bath.
Pouring acid into the inverted funnel (in an appropriate container) and leaving generally works well if your funnel is clogged.
|
|
smaerd
International Hazard
Posts: 1262
Registered: 23-1-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: hmm...
|
|
I have yet to see pirhana solution become explosive. I don't use it at home of course. Sure if you add a lot of pirhana to a bunch of solvent well bad
things are going to happen. If you have some organic grime though, it'll chew it up fine.
Bromic using dichromate at home is basically asking for some toxic waste.
Chemosynthesis, I also have had good success with fuming nitric acid. I would use 10-20 mL, and let it fizzle away inside of a sealed flask for a day
or so. Shake it around, then add it to another flask etc, Then nuetralize it. So small volumes, and it kept my slightly gunky flasks and filters from
being real bad over time. That stuff ripped up a flask that was tainted with a coordination compound, was wonderful.
It really depends on what you're cleaning from your buchners. I usually just spray acetone and water through mine. Maybe spray isn't the right word. I
use them for small quantities of organics. For inorganic compounds nitric, or even vinegar soaking might work depending on what the compounds are.
Does PTFE handle well in autoclaves?
|
|
Dr.Bob
International Hazard
Posts: 2750
Registered: 26-1-2011
Location: USA - NC
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
You don't want to soak PTFE in a base bath, it can be etched badly by strong base over time. Acid is better, Nochromix is a safer version of the old
chromate bath, not sure what is in it, but not hard to find out.
|
|
DrMario
Hazard to Others
Posts: 332
Registered: 22-9-2014
Member Is Offline
Mood: Underpaid.
|
|
We use Piranha at 120C every day in my research institute, for cleaning stubborn organic contamination of all kind, from our glassware. Of all the
etchants commonly in use in our labs, Piranha is the one most effective at scorching your flesh, so it commands a hefty dose of respect, but explosion
is NOT the main reason to fear it.
Piranha is definitely a force that can be tamed, but do wear protective equipment, including full-face protection, long thick gloves and a tyvek
apron. Also, have a water shower on the ready.
|
|
WeaponsRx
Harmless
Posts: 35
Registered: 29-12-2014
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by Dr.Bob | You don't want to soak PTFE in a base bath, it can be etched badly by strong base over time. Acid is better, Nochromix is a safer version of the old
chromate bath, not sure what is in it, but not hard to find out. |
So you recommend Nochromix as an over all good solution for cleaning my buchner and glassware? It only sees organics, and organic solvents, BA, BB,
Guiacol... PEG's... polysorbate, thats all really... oh and methanol on occasions... but besides those usually everything else is just organics..
[Edited on 17-3-2015 by WeaponsRx]
|
|
HgDinis25
Hazard to Others
Posts: 439
Registered: 14-3-2014
Location: Portugal
Member Is Offline
Mood: Who drank my mercury?
|
|
Every source I find that gives a procedure for the preparation of Piranha Solution states that the Hydrogen Peroxide must always be added to the
Sulfuric Acid, never vice-versa. This is because, they explain, the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide, if too high, may cause an explosion.
If we have Sulfuric Acid and we add to it Hydrogen Peroxide (for more clarity, let's say add Hydrogen Peroxide dropwise) wouldn't we be increasing the
concentration of the Hydrogen Peroxide? Sulfuric Acid would be absorbing the water from each drop, heating up, even forming highly dangerous Hydrogen
Peroxide gas?
However, if we added the Sulfuric Acid to the Hydrogen Peroxide none of this would happen. Yes, the solution would heat up a lot. But there would be a
lot of water to be taken by the Sulfuric Acid. Thus, the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide wouldn't increase as much.
If one must maintain a low concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide, the right thing to do wouldn't be adding the Sulfuric Acid to the Hydrogen Peroxide?
|
|
stoichiometric_steve
National Hazard
Posts: 827
Registered: 14-12-2005
Member Is Offline
Mood: satyric
|
|
On a side note, i once soaked a fritted glass filter in about 50ml of Piranha acid in a glass beaker for a week, the beaker sat in a larger steel pot.
Somehow the Piranha acid managed to crack the beaker and ate all the way through 8mm of the pots' steel bottom. I assume the beaker might have had a
defect in the glass to begin with.
|
|
aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
|
|
My personal experience is that H2SO4 + H2O2 (3%) works very well for cleaning just about every nasty sticky nonsense that ever stuck, and neither the
glass nor i ever got blown to smithereens.
|
|