Corks

Tubing Material Especially Good Because Watch Out For  

PVC (Polyvinylchloride) HC6511 Clear, very flexible, comes in varying degrees of durometer hardness. Excellent resistance to water and oxidation. Contains plasticizers (if leached out, will cause tubing to harden). 

Tygon R-3400 General laboratory use, good flexibility, nonflammable, clear. Not recommended with any organic solvents and most oils, OK with weak acids, but best to avoid strong acids and alkalis, contains plasticizers that can leach out. 

SBR (Styrene-butadiene copolymer) Similar in many respects to natural rubber, except cheaper. The resilience and % elongation is not as good as natural rubber. 

a thick, lightweight product from a Mediterranean oak, has been used in the laboratory for years in many ways. Typically, it is used as seals for glassware, as rings for supporting round-bottom flasks, and as sheets to protect surfaces from impact shock. Despite the incredible variety of plastics and other elastomers available, cork is still the material of choice for many operations in the laboratory. 

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HOaQCHjlfiCOiH, CSH14O4. Important dicarboxylic acid obtained by oxidizing ricino-leic acid (from castor oil) also obtained by oxidation of cyclo-octene or cyclo-octadiene formerly obtained from cork. Used in the formation of alkyd resins and polyamides. Esters are used as plasticizers and heavy duty lubricants and oils. 

The progressive cavity pump consists of a rotating cork-screw like sub-surface assembly which is driven by a surface mounted motor. Beam pump rods are used to connect the two. The flowrate achieved is mainly a function of the rotational speed of the subsurface assembly. There Is in principle very little that can go wrong with progressive cavity pumps. Progressive cavity pumps excel in low productivity shallow wells with viscous crude oils and can also handle significant quantities of produced solids. 

Cork T and Kino G S 1996 Confocal Scanning Optical Microscopy and Related Imaging Systems (New York Academic) Gu Min 1996 Principles of Three Dimensional Imaging In Confocal Microscopes (Singapore World Scientific)... 

Alternatively a mercury-sealed stirrer may be employed. Here again a short glass tube C is inserted through the cork of the flask to act as a collar for the stirrer. The tube C carries a short wide tube B which is either fused at its lower end to C, or is fixed to it by means of a cork as shown. The stirrer D carries a precisely similar tube E, the top of which however is now fixed to D the bore of the tube E allows it to fit easily within the annular space between the collar C and the tube B. Mercury... 

Never use unprotected bark corks for an apparatus ih which a carefully dried liquid is to be distilled, etc., as these corks always contain appreciable quantities of water, which is exuded when the cork comes into contact with a hot liquid. Rubber stoppers should therefore be used in these circumstances. 

Storage of Specimens. Solid compounds after purification should be stored in bottles or in corked specimen tubes, according... 

These advantages include (a) Speed of assembly, (b) Well-fitting joints as these are made to accurate standards and joints of any given size are thus interchangeable, (c) Accurate alignment of assembly, for the use of incorrectly bored corks is obviated, d) Freedom from contamination of liquids by cork and rubber. 

Although apparatus employing ground-glass joints is excellent for work on a macro scale, it is not always suitable for very small-scale work as the joints are often disproportionately large compared with the rest of the assembly. The semi-micro apparatus described on pp. 59-72 can therefore be considered as being of general utility for this scale of work, especially as the use of corks has been reduced to a minimum. 

General Considerations. With liquids and solutions the most serious losses are due to (a) transference from spherical flasks and difficulties of drainage, (b) retention by filter-papers, (c) absorption by large corks. As containers for small quantities of liquids it is therefore often convenient to use pear-shaped flasks A and conical test-tubes or centrifuge-tubes B (Fig. 29). (In this and subsequent figures, approximate dimensions are given to indicate a convenient size.)... 

In order to minimise the absorption of liquids by corks, single pieces of apparatus are used wherever possible. 

All thermometers for semi-micro preparations must have very small bulbs. They may often be inserted into flasks through a short collar of rubber tubing in place of the customary corks. 

Reflux Distillation Unit. The apparatus shown in Fig. 38 is a specially designed distillation-unit that can be used for boiling liquids under reflux, followed by distillation. The unit consists of a vertical water-condenser A, the top of which is fused to the side-arm condenser B. The flask C is attached by a cork to A. This apparatus is particularly suitable for the hydrolysis of esters (p. 99) and anilides (p. 109), on a small scale. For example an ester is heated under reflux with sodium hydroxide solution while water is passed through the vertical condenser water is then run out of the vertical condenser and passed through the inclined condenser. The rate of heating is increased and any volatile product will then distil over. 

Steam generator. For small scale work the steam generator D, Fig. 15, p. 33) is too cumbersome for the production of a small amount of steam. It is preferable to use a 250 ml. conical flask fitted with cork containing a vertical safety tube and an outlet-tube (Fig. 44). Care should be taken that the length of rubber tubing connecting the steam oudet tube to the flask containing the materi to be distilled should be as short as possible and should not contain kinks. 

The complete filtration apparatus is shown in Fig. 5, p. 11. A simpler and cheaper apparatus is shown in Fig. 45. This consists of a boiling-tube A having a side-arm for connection to the pump the tube A is conveniently held in a wooden or cork block B or in a clamp. The funnel F may be fitted into A through a pliable rubber disc D the latter is more useful than a cork since it covers tubes of various diameters. The filtrate is collected in the centrifuge-tube T. 

For the filtration of very small quantities of crystals, the simple apparatus shown in Fig. 46 is often used. It consists of a fine glass rod (sometimes termed a filtration nail ) which is flattened at one end, the flattened surface being preferably roughened. It fits as shown into a small funnel which replaces F (Fig. 45). A circular piece of filter-paper is cut e-g.y with a clean sharp cork-borer) so as to fit completely and snugly over the flat end. After draining, the nail is raised and the filter-paper and crystals are removed with forceps and dried. 

In most of these prcpiirations. the corks or rubber-bungs can be replaced by ground-glass joints (pp. 42-47). 

Fit a 500 ml. bolt-head flask F with a well-fitting cork which is free from flaws, and which carries a dropping-funnel D and a delivery tube (or knee-tube ) T, the latter being connected to a water-condenser C (Fig. 52). Attach an adaptor A to the lower end of the condenser. (Alternatively, use a ground-glass flask (Fig. 22(a), p. 43) with a distillation-head (Fig. 22(F)) the dropping-funnel can be fitted into the distillation-head, the side-arm of which is connected to a condenser as in Fig. 23(0), p. 45.)... 

Fit a 50 ml. bolt-head flask F (Fig. 53) with a reflux water-condenser C, to the top of which a dropping-funnel D is fixed by means of a cork having a vertical V-shaped groove G cut or filed in the side to... 

The absolute ethanol obtained in this way should have d., o 794, It is very hygroscopic, and the bottle in which it is stored should preferably have a well fitting ground-glass stopper alternatively, the bottle can be closed with a tightly fitting rubber stopper but not with a cork, as corks contain appreciable quantities of water. 

Assemble the apparatus shown in Fig. 6o. A is a 500 ml. bolt-head flask connected by a knee-tube B to a water-condenser C, to the lower end of which is fitted the adaptor D. In view of the low boiling-point of the ethyl bromide, it is essential that the various portions of the apparatus are connected together by well-bored, tightly fitting corks. (For this reason, the apparatus shown in Fig. 23(0), p. 45, is preferable.)... 

Ethyl bromide soon distils over, and collects as heavy oily drops under the water in the receiving flask, evaporation of the very volatile distillate being thus prevented. If the mixture in the flask A froths badly, moderate the heating of the sand-bath. When no more oily drops of ethyl bromide come over, pour the contents of the receiving flask into a separating-funnel, and carefully run oflF the heavy lower layer of ethyl bromide. Discard the upper aqueous layer, and return the ethyl bromide to the funnel. Add an equal volume of 10% sodium carbonate solution, cork the funnel securely and shake cautiously. Owing to the presence of hydrobromic and sulphurous acids in the crude ethyl bromide, a brisk evolution of carbon dioxide occurs therefore release the... 

Oxamide differs from most aliphatic acid amides in being almost insoluble in water, and therefore can be readily prepared from the diethyl ester by Method 2(a). Place a mixture of 5 ml. of concentrated [d o-88o) ammonia solution and 5 ml. of water in a 25 ml. conical flask, for which a welTfitting cork is available. (The large excess of... 

Succinamide. NHoCOCH2 CH2CONH2. (Method 2(a)). Add 5 ml. (5 8 g.) of dimethyl succinate to a mixture of 50 ml. of water and 25 ml. of concentrated [dy o-88o) aqueous ammonia solution in a 150 ml. conical flask. Cork the flask and shake the contents the dimethyl succinate rapidly dissolves to give a clear solution. Allow the solution to stand after about i hour the succinamide starts to crystallise, and then continues to separate for some time. Next day, filter off the succinamide at the pump, wash with cold water, and drain. Recrystallise from water, from which the succinamide separates as colourless crystals the latter soften at 240° and melt at 254 -255° with... 

Carry out this preparation in precisely the same way as the above preparation of oxamide, using 2 ml. (2-4 g.) of benzoyl chloride instead of the ethyl oxalate, and observing the same precautions. Considerably more heat is generated in this reaction therefore hold the cork very securely in position during the shaking. After vigorous shaking for 15 minutes, no trace of oily benzoyl chloride remains. Filter off the fine flakes of benzamide, wash with cold water, and then recrystallise from hot water yield, 1-5 g. Colourless crystals, m.p. 130°. 

Add 15 g, of chloroacetic acid to 300 ml. of aqueous ammonia solution d, o-88o) contained in a 750 ml. conical flask. (The manipulation of the concentrated ammonia should preferably be carried out in a fume-cupboard, and great care taken to avoid ammonia fumes.) Cork the flask loosely and set aside overnight at room temperature. Now concentrate the solution to about 30 ml. by distillation under reduced pressure. For this purpose, place the solution in a suitable distilling-flask with some fragments of unglazed porcelain, fit a capillary tube to the neck of the flask, and connect the flask through a water-condenser and receiver to a water-pump then heat the flask carefully on a water-bath. Make the concentrated solution up to 40 ml. by the addition of water, filter, and then add 250 ml. of methanol. Cool the solution in ice-water, stir well, and set aside for ca. I hour, when the precipitation of the glycine will be complete. 

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