I was wondering, how can I clean my RBF after doing a distillation? Cleaning it with a simple pipe-cleaner or similar cleaner is a headache, due to the roundness of the flask.
Is there a more effective method?
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Sign up to join this communityI was wondering, how can I clean my RBF after doing a distillation? Cleaning it with a simple pipe-cleaner or similar cleaner is a headache, due to the roundness of the flask.
Is there a more effective method?
@Permeakra suggests some good cleaning solutions. I have rearranged them (adding a few) in a suggested order from mildest to most evil. The specific thing you want to use will vary based on what you want to clean. If an initial rinse isn't good enough, you may want to let it soak for a few hours. Always take safety precautions (don't add acid washes to basic compounds, for example) and where the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE).
The following five items have dangerous reputations, and for good reasons. Use them as last resorts.
Make up a basebath out of conc KOH in isopropyl alcohol (Or whatever recipe you prefer). Leave it in there for an hour or two, then rinse with distilled water. Most of the time it will come out sparkling clean.
Be careful: Saturated base baths should be handled with care, rubber gloves (dish gloves) over lab gloves are a very, very good idea.
The simplest way is using some cleaning solution. The nature of solution depends on nature of remnants. In my practice, I used
Again, the nature of cleaning solution depends on what you are cleaning after.