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Should you only use PYREX and nothing else?


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Bought 2 different distillation kits...non-pyrex. After about a dozen distillations, the distilling flask cracked. Bought a different one...flask cracked again. Broke down, and saved up. Bought a pyrex distillation kit, much more expensive. Has lasted me well over 2 dozen distillations!

 

Pyrex, only pyrex.

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Bought 2 different distillation kits...non-pyrex. After about a dozen distillations, the distilling flask cracked. Bought a different one...flask cracked again.

How you were performing distillation?

Open fire heating round-bottom flask attached to lab stand? It has pretty small area which is heated at a time.

Hot plate heating conical flask? Flask size should be appropriate to hot plate size. Using small size flask with huge hot plate for a long time could lead to damage of hot plate.

Water/oil bath, with flask put to inside larger container (heated from the all sides by hot medium).. ?

 

ps. I did ~ 600 distillations, in the last 1.5 year, with my non-Pyrex brand, however still Boro 3.3 flasks. Flasks didn't crack during distillations.

Edited by Sensei
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How you were performing distillation?

Open fire heating round-bottom flask attached to lab stand? It has pretty small area which is heated at a time.

Hot plate heating conical flask? Flask size should be appropriate to hot plate size. Using small size flask with huge hot plate for a long time could lead to damage of hot plate.

Water/oil bath, with flask put to inside larger container (heated from the all sides by hot medium).. ?

 

ps. I did ~ 600 distillations, in the last 1.5 year, with my non-Pyrex brand, however still Boro 3.3 flasks. Flasks didn't crack during distillations.

All 3 of my distilling flasks were 1-liter in volume. An open flame was used on the first, but then cracked. The second, I tried a water bath, but couldn't really find any container big enough to fit enough water and the flask. I then used a hot plate, and it too cracked. So far with my 1-liter pyrex flask, I've been using a hot plate with no issues or cracking.

Was it borosilicate glass at all that you got? Maybe somewhat ironically, Pyrex kitchen glass ware (as opposed to lab glass ware) at least in the US, tends to be less resilient soda-lime glass.

Honestly, I'm not sure. This is the one I bought.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Glass-Essential-Oil-Steam-Distillation-Apparatus-Liebig-Condenser-W-Clamps/261984670797?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3D8bec34b93ee744689dfd275844594ac0%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D121795488699

 

Only the distilling flask cracked so i have everything else, if anyone wants the other components, lol

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All 3 of my distilling flasks were 1-liter in volume. An open flame was used on the first, but then cracked. The second, I tried a water bath, but couldn't really find any container big enough to fit enough water and the flask. I then used a hot plate, and it too cracked.

You could use the cheapest available 4L kitchen pot..

 

You should use with open fire only round-bottom flasks..

The one that are for hot plate are flat bottom..

 

If you put round-bottom flask to water/oil bath, pot will start jumping while cooking water, and could simply hit it, damage and destroy it..

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. This is the one I bought.

Not a single word whether it's boro 3.3 or not.. I would not even touch it...

 

Only the distilling flask cracked so i have everything else, if anyone wants the other components, lol

Keep them. You will have spare when they will crack.. ;)

 

ps. What you bought, is damn expensive from my point of view.

I paid $11 for 1L Boro 3.3 conical flask.

And $40 for Deflegmator and Graham condenser in one set up (literally, single piece of glass). Also Boro 3.3.

Your set up for $110 and even not Boro 3.3?!

Your set up almost definitely cannot be used with open fire, as it's flat bottom flask!

Components to set by yourself are even more cheaper: $11 for 1L conical flask, then <$10 for adapter with top for thermometer ($27 thermometer up to 300 C, $13 thermometer up to 150 C, $3 for stopper), and graham condenser (spiral!) for $13..

Output from graham condenser (not sure how it's called in English), $4.

$11 + $10 + $27 + $13 + $4 = $65

(the funny thing I thought so it's expensive, here... looking at your prices, it looks like bargain..)

Edited by Sensei
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ps. What you bought, is damn expensive from my point of view.

I paid $11 for 1L Boro 3.3 conical flask.

And $40 for Deflegmator and Graham condenser in one set up (literally, single piece of glass). Also Boro 3.3.

Your set up for $110 and even not Boro 3.3?!

Your set up almost definitely cannot be used with open fire, as it's flat bottom flask!

Components to set by yourself are even more cheaper: $11 for 1L conical flask, then <$10 for adapter with top for thermometer ($27 thermometer up to 300 C, $13 thermometer up to 150 C, $3 for stopper), and graham condenser (spiral!) for $13..

Output from graham condenser (not sure how it's called in English), $4.

$11 + $10 + $27 + $13 + $4 = $65

(the funny thing I thought so it's expensive, here... looking at your prices, it looks like bargain..)

Did you buy this glassware from a supplier, or are these just general market prices? If you did buy them from a supplier, can you send me the link!

As a matter of fact, we got cheapo Chinese borosilicate flasks for some undergrad lab courses and they worked fined for heating on plates. So you can go cheap, provided you got the right material.

How large? probably small for an undergrad class.

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Consensus is that you should really check out the material of the glassware and ensure that it is sufficient for your needs. The brand name pyrex itself could be slightly misleading, as it is used for both, lab- and houseware but in the US actually consists of different materials. Not that I assume that someone would use a household pyrex vessel for experiments, but one never knows...

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