[limpet chicken]

When you see glassware going cheap on ebay that you have to go and buy, even when you don't quite know what you will do with it.

Anyone know what this lil sucker is? cost me 2 quid 50, shipping was more than the item

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370078649722&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RCRX_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=280254022558&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m183&_trkparms=algo%3DCRX%26its%3DS%252BI%252BSS%26itu%3DISS%252BUCI%252BSI%26otn%3D4

[P]

Well it says it's a soxhlet extractor!  One of my favourite bits of kit  it's very clever. Many uses, one of which is extracting a soluble component from an insoluble one. You have a body of solvent in a flask underneath and you heat it. The vapours condense at the top of the kit and the solvent washes through your sample (usually put inside a thimble shaped filter). As the amount of solvent in the top part of the soxhlet rises it eventually gets high enough for it to be syphoned back to the bottom (which is really cool when it happens) taking the soluble fraction with it. The solvent is evaporated again (leaving the soluble fraction in the bottom flask) and returns back to the top of the kit to re-wash your sample again with fresh clean solvent, before being syphoned back to the bottom again....  and the cycle goes on.  It is good to watch  -   you can leave it cycling for hours.

I am presuming that the factional soxhlet extractor is pretty much the same thing. It is difficult to see from the picture.

[limpet chicken]

Yeah, I thought it might be some variant on the soxhlet theme, but I'm not very confident of it.

Either way, I'm guessing the seller of the one I bought, got robbed on the price

[hmx9123]

It doesn't look like a Soxhlet, nor does it look like it could function as such.  However, I'm sure a creative guy like you can find a use for it.

As for getting a good deal, the joints on it alone are worth more than the price you paid, so you're ahead.

[limpet chicken]

Oh yes, you can bloody believe it, I'l find a use for it, probably several.

What do you mean about the joints? I've never seen ground glass joints sold seperately:P

Its a bit of a bad habit of mine, if I see something that looks worth having in the lab department, I'l get it, and work out what to do with it later

[Controlled Substance]

LOL limpet. If all fails... just turn it into an awe inspiring smoking device.

At least, that's what I would do if I had: 1 Kipp apperatus, a human-shaped joint, 3 rubber stopper and 1 tube of crazy glue.

It would look like the pic in my attachment.

[limpet chicken]

You get a snack for that, for the creativeness.

Although I couldn't do that to my glassware, I did do it with a 2-necked RBF once, using a normal downpipe and a rubber stopper, it worked pretty well.

But, problem is, you ever thought how much pirhana solution is gonna be needed to burn off crap of that caliber?

Considering I had to base-bath my glass pipe for a couple of hours to get out the worst of the baked on gunk, I wouldn't want that on my glassware, bong tar is the worst, give me mercury waste or Cr(VI) any day, at least its less toxic and doesn't stick everywhere

[Controlled Substance]

Haha... I can just imagine the time it would take to scrub every nook and cranny of your new piece with a small-diameter flexible brush.

Hey, since you seem to be much more advanced in chemitsry than me, I'm gonna ask you a question.

If one had a device where the smoke passed through 3 liquids before reaching the mouthpiece, would there be any combo of solvents that would significantly clean the tar/gunk while leaving in the desired ingredients?

[limpet chicken]

None that you would want to inhale.

People use ice water for a reason

If I'm assuming correctly about the compounds present in the pyrolysate of the plant material, then its a lipophillic, nonpolar compound, and nonpolar solvents as well as alcohols and ketones will dissolve it, and the none of those are ones you want to breathe in.