Zed has generally avoided stinky reactions. Zed likes room
temperature reactions, and Zed likes to do reductions with Pt and H2. However, on the rare occasions when Zed has run a
stinker (like the Leuckhardt): A two holed stopper with two
short glass tubes in it, can be loosely placed on the top
of your condenser, attach flexible tubing to one of the
tubes and attach the other end to a glass tube inserted in
a stopper in a filter flask, attach the filter flask via
tubing, to a water, vacuume aspirator, adjust water flow
so that a gentle breeze, brings those stinky gases through
your venting system dissolves them in water, and washes them
down your drain. Of course, this will be "Old Hat" to most
of you veterans out there. As for the idea of placing a bucket full of activated charcoal in the system, I hadn't
thought of that! Please note, if the reaction is also generating poison or explosive gases that are not so water soluable, you better find a way to either react 'em (HCN + KOH) or you better allow their final venting, in a well ventilated area where you ain't gonna be for a while. Naturally, your water bill will go up. But, since you will continue to be a free man, woman, or whatever, you will be able to pay it. If all this eliminating odors seems like
too much trouble to you, move near a plywood factory, these
areas sometimes smell so terrible, that the stench you are
generating might go unnoticed..............Zed
P.S. Try to use solvents, that don't stink.
Diethylether is a fine solvent. Well, except for narcosis, volatility, flamability, forming explosive mixtures with air, forming explosive peroxides; and having a distinctive, persistant odor, that can recognised 100 yards away. Other
than that, its great.