The Vespiary

The Hive => Chemicals & Equipment => Topic started by: wannabeechemist on October 10, 2003, 08:36:00 PM

Title: Diethyl Ether
Post by: wannabeechemist on October 10, 2003, 08:36:00 PM
can you use it straight from the can(starting fluid)? Is there water in it? are the other ingedients in it okay,or should they be extracted?
Title: different brands have different formulations,...
Post by: stratosphere on October 10, 2003, 11:35:00 PM
different brands have different formulations, i have never seen one which is straight ether, most have either acetone or toluene in them as well, get a msds for the particular brand your interested in to find out what is in it.
a distillation should seperate them.
i would recommend using only a hot water bath with no live heat source for this distillation, i would also keep the room its carried out in very well ventilated.
Title: Purify and sleep easier!
Post by: fanofshulgin on October 10, 2003, 11:43:00 PM
With something like ether (with SUCH a low boiling point and thus so simple and fast to distill)....if you have the means to purify it safely, then you probably should.  After all an hour spent purifying a lot of ether may well increase yields :)

The chemists mantra - "the purer the better".
Title: Make your own
Post by: RepVip on October 11, 2003, 03:14:00 AM
if your up for it

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/ethyl.ether.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/ethyl.ether.html)

Title: OTC Et2O preparation
Post by: Oxygen69 on October 11, 2003, 04:39:00 AM
Diethyl ether really shouldn't be distilled in the presence of air.  I think that this procedure will work.  It should be carried out in a hood.  I would greatly appreciate any corrections or improvements to this procedure.

Preparation of Diethyl Ether
A can of starting fluid (at least 80% diethyl ether) is sprayed into a 1L flask.  A Claisen adapter is attached.  One of the openings in the adapter is attached to a source of inert gas.  The other is attached to a vacuum distillation apparatus, with the vacuum takeoff attached to an oil bubbler instead of vacuum.  A 500 mL flask is attached to the apparatus.  The system is flushed with gas for 10 minutes, water is run through the condenser, stirring is started, and heat is applied via a hot water bath.  The first few mL of distillate are discarded.  250 mL of the fraction distilling below 35 C is collected.

Expected yield: 250 mL Et2O

Title: There are starting fluids out there that ...
Post by: foxy2 on October 13, 2003, 12:28:00 AM
There are starting fluids out there that contain only ether and maybe some lubricants.  They can be hard to find tho.  I found some a couple years ago at rite-aid.  Then the new stuff they got had hexane also.
Title: Hexane, etc
Post by: Oxygen69 on October 13, 2003, 12:43:00 AM
N-hexane boils at 68.7 C.  Does it form an azeotrope with diethyl ether?  A web search revealed nothing on the subject.

Title: Hexane is involved in the following ...
Post by: fanofshulgin on October 13, 2003, 01:45:00 AM
Hexane is involved in the following azeotropes:

85% Hexane 15% Methanol azeotrope - bp 50º
42% Hexane 58% Methanol azeotrope - bp 50º
94.4% Hexane 5.6% Water azeotrope - bp 61.6º

But not with Et2O as far as i am aware.  Dont quote me on this though.

Title: It contains: diethyl ...
Post by: wannabeechemist on October 13, 2003, 06:51:00 PM
It contains: diethyl etther(60-29-7),hepthane(142-85-5)hexane(110-54-3)do any of these conatin water or does someone need to distill to use with PMB?
Title: There shouldnt be a high water content as...
Post by: fanofshulgin on October 13, 2003, 07:19:00 PM
There shouldnt be a high water content as heptane and hexane are not miscible with water. Water is significantly soluble in ether (14g/L).  The presence of heptane and hexane will affect the solubility of your material in the mixture, so it would certainly be best to distill the ether as a means of purification.

Title: oil
Post by: VideoEditor on October 15, 2003, 11:00:00 PM
I have found they all contain upper cylinder lubricant wether its listed on the ingredients or not. Spray a bit on a mirror and see if it dries with no residue. Please take the previous flammability warnings seriously. The fumes lay low and travel far. Static electricity is more than enough to cause ignition and or detonation.