Submitted by Barbara Reisner / James Madison University on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 17:08
Forums
I'm on sabbatical leave this year and have discovered that I'm the person in the group who knows the most about glove boxes.  I've picked up a few things over the years, but I'm not sure what is important and what's irrelevant.  (I'm a solid state chemist and don't have that much use for glove boxes on a regular basis.)  Can anyone recommend some resources on "care and feeding" of a glove box?  Better yet, do you have any suggestions for general rules of use and maintenance for a glove box?
Lori Watson / Earlham College

One of the (easy to read and short) resources I send my students to is http://www.ilpi.com/inorganic/glassware/glovebox.html. Toward the bottom, there's a list of Bad Things, all of which I agree with!  There's also an older book, by Shriver I think, about Manipulation of Air Sensitive Compounds.  I'm pretty sure it also has information about gloveboxes, and they haven't really changed much.  There's also a good chapter in Advanced Practical Inorganic and Metalorganic Chemistry by R. John Errington.  Basically, think before you pump things in (students love to pump in shrink-wrapped syringes which are packed in air!), dry in an oven everything you can (and pump in the rest overnight), try really hard not to use protic solvents--or amines or volatile phosphines (and if you to, purge REALLY well before turning your recirculation back on), and regenerate when the atmosphere starts not "being good" (about 2 times a year for me, but it will depend on the kind of things you use in your box--and how many novice users you have).  If you don't have an oxygen/moisture sensor, there's a number of inexpensive ways to keep track of your atmosphere (summarized here: http://books.google.com/books?id=yI_mq_mCf2AC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=oxyge…)

 Hope this helps!


Mon, 09/29/2008 - 21:33 Permalink
Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College

In reply to by Lori Watson / Earlham College

I agree with Lori's post, but there is also an ACS symposium series text

 Experimental Organometallic Chemistry: A Practicum in Synthesis and Characterization
by Andrea L. Wayda (Editor), Marcetta Y. Darensbourg (Editor)
# Publisher: Oxford University Press
# Pub. Date: November 1987
# ISBN-13: 9780841214385

# 312pp

The book has all sorts of useful info, such as, how to make and use a vapor phase osmometer (sp?) for MW determinations, how to repair holes in gloves, etc.

here is the barns and noble link, but check your local library!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Experimental-Organometallic-Chemistry/…

Mon, 09/29/2008 - 23:23 Permalink
Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College
Silly question from a dry box user, who was trained in a lab where dry really means dry...only solids allowed.  What's the best way to bring some high vacuum grease into the box?  Simply uncap the tube and pump the heck out of it?
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 01:10 Permalink
Lori Watson / Earlham College

In reply to by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College

What I do is squeeze some into a (properly dried in the oven) baby food jar.  In the (metal) top of the baby food jar I poke a good sized hole.  I put the cap on the jar and cover the cap with a chemwipe rubber banded to the jar.  I also bring in a Popsicle stick (or other metal or wooden short stick that fits through the hole I poked).  After I pump it in, I remove the chemwipe, insert the stick, and have a grease pot of a dispensor. 
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 09:48 Permalink
Adam Johnson / Harvey Mudd College

In reply to by Maggie Geselbracht / Reed College

What I do is squeeze the grease into a 5-10 mL disposable plastic syringe (can get messy) but don't put the plunger in yet.  Pump it in as usual.  Once inside, put in the plunger.  This is nice because you prevent an explosion of grease in the antechamber, and you get a handy dispenser too.

Adam

Tue, 10/28/2008 - 10:09 Permalink