Chemical Forums
Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: sully on January 25, 2013, 06:29:41 AM
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So I am using butane for an extraction and need to use a desiccator to vacuum out the left over gasses.
Butane is ok with Polypropylene, but not polycarbonate. My extraction is in a glass dish and was wondering if its safe to vacuum or if the butane gasses will react with the polycarbonate shell even though my extraction is in the glass dish. This is for ingestion and I want it to be as healthy as possible, please assist.
This is the desiccator I was talking about.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002VBW9RS/ref=biss_dp_t_asn
I am leaning towards a glass vacuum chamber, but the shipping is really expensive, and will take a long time to arrive. The one from amazon I can get in two days shipped to me. No stores locally can source one out and I live in a large city, Houston.
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Try to find another source for Bel-Art labware than Amazon. You don't have to buy from the other company, just find them, and ask them. Or maybe contact Bel-Art themselves. You can ask if their polycarbonate desiccator is compatible with butane vapor. It may well be, or it may be a disaster, or they may not know, and not want to commit themselves. But they may be able to say something like, "occasional use with no more than 10 mls of butane will at most cause slight fogging." Maybe the constant vacuum will prevent fogging, or reverse it. But they'll know.
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Forget it,
I found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046A9FBA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
Its 100% polypropylene, im hoping I can create some sort of vacuum system with it.
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You have come face to face with another problem with purchasing labware from Amazon ... nothing in that description certifies that it is safe for vacuum, only that its think-walled and polypropylene. They mention its for storage and autoclaving, not for vacuum. Granted, its plastic and not glass, so an implosion won't send glass shards everywhere, but still, you should talk to labware vendors who are knowledgeable, and willing to talk with you about the risks, and suggest alternatives. Since you seem to be doing this at home, you may not have a fume hood shield, or a stand alone safety shield, to protect you while you're using it.