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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: gutrending on February 02, 2019, 05:18:39 PM

Title: Substitutes/options for cotton wool?
Post by: gutrending on February 02, 2019, 05:18:39 PM
Hullo! I'm working on a lab in chemistry regarding reaction rates, particularly through letting a reaction proceed on a mass balance and letting CO2 escape (I'm working with HCl and CaCO3). However, I've run into a bit of a problem while preparing...which is that I don't have any cotton stoppers. I tried googling for alternatives, but I haven't really come up with anything aside from the fact that most cotton balls sold in stores (at least in the USA); everything else is irrelevant and mostly food-related.

Is there anything I can find at a store that I can use as a stopper that would let gas escape? Would cotton balls (that are definitively made of cotton) be OK to use for this experiment?
Title: Re: Substitutes/options for cotton wool?
Post by: billnotgatez on February 03, 2019, 02:33:17 PM
...
Is there anything I can find at a store that I can use as a stopper that would let gas escape? Would cotton balls (that are definitively made of cotton) be OK to use for this experiment?

I have seen cotton balls used where a barrier was needed to protect against bacteria but let air through.
Title: Re: Substitutes/options for cotton wool?
Post by: gutrending on February 03, 2019, 04:31:29 PM
Okay, thank you!