Safety

• Implosions are a serious concern and should never be taken lightly. Glass shards and scalding oil can burn, mutilate, or even kill you! While the risk of implosions can be greatly reduced with correct equipment and usage, implosions cannot be altogether eliminated due to the imperfect nature of glass and should be considered every time vacuum is applied to glassware. Implosions are a matter of “when it will happen” and not “if it will happen”. When glassware is under vacuum it can suddenly implode if stressed or cracked and it is extremely important that operators are careful not to bump, stress, or drop anything on it.

• Cover the top portion of the boiling flask with insulating material and aluminum foil to prevent water from the condenser or loose object dropping onto it.

• Do not release vacuum in the system until the boiling flask has cooled.

• Heating mantles/stir plates can exceed temperatures of 500°C and can easily burn the operator or cause fire. All electronic equipment and components are not water or liquid resistant and can cause electric shock, electrocution (including death), and fire if exposed to liquids or gases. Electric equipment can cause grave injury (including death) if tampered with.

• Vacuum pumps have moving parts and can entangle loose clothing.

NOTICE OF RISK: All products and procedures can at times involve substantial risk of injury, property damage, and other dangers. Dangers peculiar to such activities include, but are not limited to, [burning, fire, explosion, implosion, asphyxiation].

All information provided herein is the author’s opinion and provided for entertainment purposes only.

While Goldleaf Scientific strives to make the information on this website as timely and accurate as possible, Goldleaf Scientific makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this site, and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of this site.

All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent of the author.

Goldleaf Scientific cannot be held responsible for damages caused to equipment or the user by use or misuse of products.