Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
Most of the reactions we perform in the chemistry lab are made in solution, using solvents. However, at the end of the day we want to have our substance separated from the solvent, as a solid or an oil. So how do we do that? 🤔
Well, an option would be to leave our flasks in a terrace for a few days (if we are lucky enough and it's sunny! 🌞) and wait until the solvent has evaporated, right? Unfortunately, this is really not a good idea for a big number of reasons, including time ⏳, safety ⚠️, and environmental☢️
In order to speed up the evaporation process, we use a rotary evaporator. The process that takes place is quite simple: we warm up the flask that contains our chemical product + solvent using a water bath, and then we apply some vaccuum. This makes the solvent boil faster and it evaporates. After a few minutes, we have our reaction product without solvent in the flask. 👨🔬👩🔬
But that’s not all! The rotary evaporator contains a cooling system that allows us to collect the evaporated solvent in an adjacent flask, so that we can dispose it properly ♻️
Have a nice Thursday! 👋🏽
#rotavap #TechThursday #NCCR #Science
Most of the reactions we perform in the chemistry lab are made in solution, using solvents. However, at the end of the day we want to have our substance separated from the solvent, as a solid or an oil. So how do we do that? 🤔
Well, an option would be to leave our flasks in a terrace for a few days (if we are lucky enough and it's sunny! 🌞) and wait until the solvent has evaporated, right? Unfortunately, this is really not a good idea for a big number of reasons, including time ⏳, safety ⚠️, and environmental☢️
In order to speed up the evaporation process, we use a rotary evaporator. The process that takes place is quite simple: we warm up the flask that contains our chemical product + solvent using a water bath, and then we apply some vaccuum. This makes the solvent boil faster and it evaporates. After a few minutes, we have our reaction product without solvent in the flask. 👨🔬👩🔬
But that’s not all! The rotary evaporator contains a cooling system that allows us to collect the evaporated solvent in an adjacent flask, so that we can dispose it properly ♻️
Have a nice Thursday! 👋🏽
#rotavap #TechThursday #NCCR #Science
