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zenosx
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I want to hear why sciencehideout found pipetting by mouth wasn't such a great idea....
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Mailinmypocket
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As far as I know, it isn't a good idea due to the fact that you can end up with chemicals in your mouth. He may have had a bad experience though- who
knows!
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zenosx
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I want to hear why sciencehideout found pipetting by mouth wasn't such a great idea....
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zenosx
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Lol, that much is obvious. I imagine it wasn't a fun day to find out that "tip". Hopefully it wasn't anything too toxic or corrosive 
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Oscilllator
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I find a great alternative to those plastic transfer pipettes to be straws. Straws can be bought from any supermarket by the hundred, and at
negligible cost. To use a straw as a transfer pipette simply place it in the liquid, put your thumb over the top and pull it out again! Liquid will
remain in the straw until you take your thumb off the top.
I use this method all the time, especially when I want to test the PH of a solution.
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Mailinmypocket
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Stuck glass joints?
I downloaded a PDF from Sigma-Aldrich called "Safe Handling and Care of Glassware" It's by Corning and has some interesting bits. One tip that was new
to me was their method of separating stuck ground glass joints using soda water.
I tried to copy/paste from the document but it won't allow it, it's on page 6....
Attachment: Glass care and safe handling.pdf (1.3MB)
This file has been downloaded 1473 times
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Dr.Bob
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Quote: Originally posted by Oscilllator  | I find a great alternative to those plastic transfer pipettes to be straws. Straws can be bought from any supermarket by the hundred, and at
negligible cost. To use a straw as a transfer pipette simply place it in the liquid, put your thumb over the top and pull it out again! Liquid will
remain in the straw until you take your thumb off the top.
I use this method all the time, especially when I want to test the PH of a solution. |
I like to use a Pasteur pipette for removing enough to take a pH.
And the plastic transfer pipettes are not that expensive. I have cases of 500 available for $10 each, or a bagful for a $1.
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ScienceHideout
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| Quote: Originally posted by zenosx | | Lol, that much is obvious. I imagine it wasn't a fun day to find out that "tip". Hopefully it wasn't anything too toxic or corrosive |
lol, no. It was just acetone- didn't taste very good, though, and it made parts of my mouth feel funny. I'd rather stick to water as a refreshing
beverage.
hey, if you are reading this, I can't U2U, but you are always welcome to send me an email!
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Pyro
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A microwave. You can use it for anything.
a few examples are: drying substances, I dry my KBr, KMnO4, ... with it, just half fill a beaker and put in on a 60s cycle, when thats done you
usually have a perfectly dry solid
preheating liquids, When i re distill water I put the boiling flask in the microwave until just before it boils, then I put it on a hot hotplate and
attach it to my condenser, that saves a lot of time.
when I wash a glass bottle and need it fast, I microwave it.
all above information is intellectual property of Pyro.  |
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Magpie
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Do you ever have a stuck ptfe stopcock? Just immerse it in ice-water. I have done this twice now and the stopcock frees in less than a minute. 
At first this seemed counter-intuitive. But a little reflection on the coefficients of thermal expansion for borosilicate glass and ptfe showed why
it works so well.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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radagast
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Glassware Shelves
I was tired of my glassware rolling off of my plastic shelf. To solve that issue, I turned the shelf upside down, which provided a wealth of valleys
and ridges to securely hold each piece of glassware.
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silvergrahm
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I'd like to know what types of makeshift stir rods folks are using here. And also what you use for 2L plus vessels, either reaction or general
storage.
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CaliusOptimus
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For the more technically inclined users, it's nice to have a few sticks of 1/4" round borosilicate rod around for making stir rods. You can heat the
end up and flatten or shape it in any way, also you can make a rotating stirrer for high temp reactions where PTFE won't hold up.
Add a $50 oxy/propane torch and you can turn borosilicate tubing into tee fittings, capillaries, pipettes, reducers, and even weld small (~14/20)
ground joints together to make adapters.
A great glass source: mountainglass.com
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Magpie
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| Quote: Originally posted by Magpie | I often need a long stirring rod, something longer than the standard 10" variety, of which I have many. So I end up using my high temperature mercury
thermometer as it is quite long. Realizing that this is poor practice I searched for a cheap source for a long stirring rod.
What I found is that you can order Simax borosilicate glass rod in several diameters from art glass suppliers for dirt cheap. You still have to pay
the postage, however, which was about $5 for 3ea 20" rods. |
I recommend FrantzArtglass.com
[Edited on 18-1-2013 by Magpie]
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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CaliusOptimus
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Oooo...they are closer to me than mountainglass... I'm gonna place an order and see if the shipping is quicker
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White Yeti
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I didn't see this on the page, but a convenient way to bend aluminium tubing is to make a coil from aluminium MIG wire around it before bending. The
coil will prevent the tube from caving in while bending.
Once the tubing gets stiff, it's good to anneal it with the help of a strong heat source. I use a stovetop covered with aluminium foil which easily
reaches annealing temperatures, even for copper. A bunsen burner or an ordinary fire would also work for aluminium, but aluminium melts at a low
temperature, so you have to be careful.
The bending and annealing is repeatable, so virtually any shape is achievable. This will also work with copper tubing, but higher temperatures are
needed for annealing and the coil will have to be made from a stronger and thicker piece of metal than MIG wire.
"Ja, Kalzium, das ist alles!" -Otto Loewi
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franklyn
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The way to bend metal tube is to fill it with something to keep it from collapsing ,
most commonly sand. Bending it hot will reduce the propensity for cold fracture.
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Magpie
lab constructor
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This posting nearly went to "Bad Days in the Lab" but instead turned out well. I dropped a mercury thermometer on the floor mercury end first when
the cap came off its case. But instead of breaking and sending mercury all over the place, it merely bounced. This save was due to my son's gift of
a rubber mat excessed from his place of work. It also saves my feet from standing on concrete when working in my lab.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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Hexavalent
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Very nice, Magpie! What kind of rubber is it composed of?
The carpet I have in my lab is not ideal for chemical, stain or fire resistance, but significantly reduces strain on my feet whilst standing and has
also once saved my Hg thermometer.
What's the gas cylinder in the photo for....argon?
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
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Pyro
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my carpet is best for fire and chem resistance. it's brick
all above information is intellectual property of Pyro. |
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Hexavalent
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A trifle annoyed at my continuous misplacement of stirbars, I recently attached one of these magnetic trays:
to the bottom of my hood for easy access, which allows me to throw stirbars at it and have them stick. They are inexpensive to buy, and I always know
where to find stirbars when I need them.
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
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Hexavalent
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Since Easter is here, I have you a nice little tip: the trays that Easter eggs come on in shops/supermarkets are perfect for storing and holding RBFs
of all sizes: I got about half a dozen different sizes the other day free of charge, and they are perfect for holding my 25 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL, 250 mL,
500 mL and 1L RBFs akin to the cork rings seen in professional labs.
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
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Magpie
lab constructor
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Location: USA
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I don't know - just some medium soft black rubber. It was to be sold for exercise equipment but came with a small rip - so my son got it for nothing.
Yes, the cylinder contains argon. I can get that filled for ~$20.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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Imakethings
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'Redneck' chemistry trick.
Use fine or ultra fine sand in place of oil immersion bath, other bonus is that it holds heat better and won't really react much if you spill
something on it. One of my favorite tricks that.
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Hexavalent
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Not to rain on your party, but various heating media have been discussed several times on the forum: a vast majority of members are quite aware of
sand baths, and ironically a large proportion of people despise them  .
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
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