http://www.sas.org/E-Bulletin/2003-04-18/labNotes2/body.html (http://www.sas.org/E-Bulletin/2003-04-18/labNotes2/body.html)
states that "The safest bath material is sand since it doesn't present a spatter danger, is non-flammable, is non-toxic, is non-conducting and doesn't degrade. It is a great choice when you have an odd-shaped apparatus and don't want to use a fluid. As an added bonus, you can use a heating mantle as your container (don't try that with liquids!). The drawbacks are that sand is not as versatile and doesn't transfer heat as quickly as fluids."Post 422858 (missing)
(runne: "What to use as a heating (oil) bath.", Newbee Forum) summarizes above link....Post 379174 (missing)
(Rhodium: "PEG 400 Oil Bath", Newbee Forum)