Experiment 1 Laboratory techniques: use of the laboratory gas burner; basic glassworking Background The Laboratory Gas Burner Tirrill or Bunsen burners provide a ready source of heat in the chemistry laboratory. In general, since chemical reactions proceed faster at elevated temperatures, the use of heat enables the experimenter to accomplish many experiments more quickly than would be possible at room temperature. The burner illustrated in Fig. 1.1 is typical of the burners used in most general chemistry laboratories. Figure 1.1 Violet outer cone The Bunsen burner. Pale-blue middle cone Hottest part of the Dark-blue inner cone flame (800°C) Barrel Air vents Gas inlet Gas control valve Main gas valve Base Aburner is designed to allow gas and air to mix in a controlled manner. The gas often used is “natural gas,” mostly the highly flammable and odorless hydrocarbon methane, CH . When ignited, the flame’s temperature can be adjusted by altering the various 4 proportions of gas and air. The gas flow can be controlled either at the main gas valve or at the gas control valve at the base of the burner. Manipulation of the air vents at the bottom of the barrel allows air to enter and mix with the gas. The hottest flame has a violet outer cone, a pale-blue middle cone, and a dark-blue inner cone; the air vents, in this case, are opened sufficiently to assure complete combustion of the gas. Lack of air produces a cooler, luminous yellow flame. This flame lacks the inner cone and most likely is smoky, and often deposits soot on objects it contacts. Too much air blows out the flame. Harcourt, Inc. Experiment 1 1 Basic Glassworking In the chemistry laboratory, it is often necessary to modify apparatus made from glass or to connect pieces of equipment with glass tubing. Following correct procedures for working with glass, especially glass tubing, is important. Glass is a super-cooled liquid. Unlike crystalline solids which have sharp melting points, glass softens when heated, flows, and thus can be worked. Bending, molding, and blowing are standard operations in glassworking. Not all glass is the same; there are different grades and compositions. Most laboratory glassware is made from borosilicate glass (containing silica and borax compounds). Commercially, this type of glass is known as Pyrex (made by Corning Glass) or Kimax (made by Kimble glass). This glass does not soften very much below 800(cid:1)C and, therefore, requires a very hot flame in order to work it. ABunsen burner flame provides a hot enough temperature for general glassworking. In addition, borosilicate glass has a low thermal coefficient of expansion. This refers to the material’s change in volume per degree change in temperature. Borosilicate glass expands or contracts slowly when heated or cooled. Thus, glassware composed of this material can withstand rapid changes in temperature and can resist cracking. Soft glass consists primarily of silica sand, SiO . Glass of this type softens in the 2 region of 300–400(cid:1)C, and because of this low softening temperature is not suitable for most laboratory work. It has another unfortunate property that makes it a poor material for laboratory glassware. Soft glass has a high thermal coefficient of expansion. This means that soft glass expands or contracts very rapidly when heated or cooled; sudden, rapid changes in temperature introduce too much stress into the material, and the glass cracks. While soft glass can be worked easily using a Bunsen burner, care must be taken to prevent breakage; with annealing, by first mildly reheating and then uniformly, gradually cooling, stresses and strains can be controlled. Objectives 1. To learn how to use a Bunsen burner. 2. To learn basic glassworking by bending and fire-polishing glass tubing. Procedure The Laboratory Gas Burner; Use of the Bunsen Burner 1. Before connecting the Bunsen burner to the gas source, examine the burner and compare it to Fig. 1.1. Be sure to locate the gas control valve and the air vents and see how they work. 2. Connect the gas inlet of your burner to the main gas valve by means of a short piece of thin-walled rubber tubing. Be sure the tubing is long enough to provide some slack for movement on the bench top. Close the gas control valve. If your burner has a screw-needle valve, turn the knob clockwise. Close the air vents. This can be done by rotating the barrel of the burner (or sliding the ring over the air vents if your burner is built this way). 2 Experiment 1 Harcourt, Inc. 3. Turn the main gas valve to the open position. Slowly open the gas control valve counterclockwise until you hear the hiss of gas. Quickly strike a match or use a gas striker to light the burner. With a lighted match, hold the flame to the top of the barrel. The gas should light. How would you describe the color of the flame? Hold a Pyrex test tube in this flame. What do you observe? 4. Carefully turn the gas control valve, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. What happens to the flame size? (If the flame should go out, or if the flame did not light initially, shut off the main gas valve and start over, as described above.) 5. With the flame on, adjust the air vents by rotating the barrel (or sliding the ring). What happens to the flame as the air vents open? Adjust the gas control valve and the air vents until you obtain a flame about 3 or 4 in. high, with an inner cone of blue (Fig. 1.1). The tip of the pale blue inner cone is the hottest part of the flame. 6. Too much air will blow out the flame. Should this occur, close the main gas valve immediately. Relight following the procedure in step 3. 7. Too much gas pressure will cause the flame to rise away from the burner and “roar” (Fig. 1.2). If this happens, reduce the gas flow by closing the gas control valve until a proper flame results. Figure 1.2 The flame rises away from the burner. 8. “Flashback” sometimes occurs. If so, the burner will have a flame at the bottom of the barrel. Quickly close the main gas valve. Allow the barrel to cool. Relight following the procedures in step no. 3. Basic Glassworking; Working with Glass Tubing Cutting glass tubing 1. Obtain a length of glass tubing (5–6 mm in diameter). Place the tubing flat on the bench top, and with a grease pencil mark off a length of 30 cm. Grasp a triangular file with one hand, placing your index finger on a flat side of the file. With your other hand, hold the tubing firmly in place against the bench top. At the mark, press the edge of the file down firmly on the glass, and in one continuous motion scratch the glass (Fig. 1.3). Figure 1.3 Cutting glass tubing with a triangular file. Harcourt, Inc. Experiment 1 3 2. Place a drop of water on the scratch (this seems to help the glass break). Wrap the tubing with cloth or paper towels and grasp with both hands, as shown in Fig. 1.4. Place your thumbs on the unscratched side of the tubing, one thumb on either side of the scratch. Position the scratch away from your body and face. Snap the tubing by simultaneously pushing with both thumbs and pulling with both hands toward your body. The tubing should break cleanly where the glass was scratched. Should the tubing not break, repeat the procedure described above. Figure 1.4 Breaking glass tubing. Glass bends 1. Turn off the Bunsen burner and place a wing top on the barrel. The wing top will spread out the flame so that a longer section of glass will be heated to softness. Relight the burner and adjust the flame until the blue inner cone appears along the width of the wing top (Fig. 1.5). Figure 1.5 Wing top on the Bunsen burner. 2. Hold the midsection of the newly cut glass tubing in the flame. Keep the tubing in the hottest part of the flame, just above the spread-out blue cone (Fig. 1.6). Rotate the tubing continuously to obtain uniform heating. As the glass gets hot, the flame should become yellow; this color is due to sodium ions, which are present in the glass. Figure 1.6 Holding the glass tubing in the flame. When the glass gets soft and feels as if it is going to sag, remove the glass from the flame. Hold it steady without twisting or pulling (Fig. 1.7), and quickly, but gently, bend it to the desired angle (Fig. 1.8). 4 Experiment 1 Harcourt, Inc. Figure 1.7• Hold before bending. Figure 1.8• Quickly bend. Agood bend has a smooth curve with no constrictions (Fig. 1.9). Figure 1.9 CAUTION! Hot glass looks like cold glass. When finished with a piece of hot glass, place it out of the way on your bench top, on a piece of wire gauze. Glass cools slowly, so do not attempt to pick up any piece until you test it. Hold your hand above the glass without touching; you will be able to sense any heat. If your fingers get burnt by touching hot glass, immediately cool them with cold water and notify your instructor. Fire polishing 1. To remove sharp edges from cut glass, a hot flame is needed to melt and thereby smooth out the glass. 2. If the wing top is on the burner, turn off the gas and carefully remove the wing top from the barrel with a pair of crucible tongs. The wing top may be hot. 3. Relight the gas and adjust to the hottest flame. Hold one end of the cooled tubing in the hottest part of the flame (just above the blue inner cone). Slowly rotate the tube (Fig. 1.10). Figure 1.10 Fire polishing. Harcourt, Inc. Experiment 1 5 The flame above the glass tubing should become yellow as the glass gets hot and melts. Be careful not to overmelt the glass, in order to prevent the end from closing. After a short time (approx. 1 min.), remove the glass from the flame and examine the end; fire polishing will round the edges. Reheat if necessary to complete the polishing. When the end is completely smooth, lay the hot glass on a piece of wire gauze to cool. Be sure the glass is completely cooled before you attempt to polish the other end. 4. Show your instructor your glass bend with the ends completely fire polished. Making stirring rods Cut some solid glass rods (supplied by the instructor) into 20-cm lengths. Fire polish the ends. Drawing capillary tubes 1. Cut a piece of glass tubing about 20 cm in length. 2. Heat the middle of the glass tubing in the flame just above the inner blue cone. Don’t use a wing top. Rotate the tube in the flame until it softens (Fig. 1.11 A). Figure 1.11• Techniques for drawing capillary tubes. 3. As the glass sags, remove the tubing from the flame. Gently pull on each end, as straight as possible, until the capillary is as small as desired (Fig. 1.11 B). 4. Carefully place the tubing on the bench top and allow the glass to cool. 5. With a triangular file, carefully cut a piece of the drawn-out capillary tube (approx. 10 cm). Seal one end by placing it in the flame. Show your instructor your sealed capillary tube. Chemicals and Equipment 1. Glass tubing (6-mm and 8-mm OD) 2. Glass rod (6-mm OD) 3. Bunsen burner 4. Wing top 5. Wire gauze 6. Crucible tongs 6 Experiment 1 Harcourt, Inc. NAME SECTION DATE PARTNER GRADE Experiment 1 PRE-LAB QUESTIONS 1. Why are chemical reactions often heated in the laboratory? 2. How can the temperature of a Bunsen flame be adjusted? 3. Which flame is hotter: a blue flame or a yellow flame? 4. Describe the physical state and characteristics of glass. 5. What are the characteristics of soft glass? How do these characteristics affect the performance of glassware in the laboratory? Harcourt, Inc. Experiment 1 7 NAME SECTION DATE PARTNER GRADE Experiment 1 REPORT SHEET Bunsen burner 1. What is the color of the flame when the air vents are closed? 2. What happened to the Pyrex test tube in this flame? 3. What happens to the flame when the gas control valve is turned? 4. Describe the effect on the flame as the air vents were opened. Glassworking Let the instructor comment on your glass experiments. 1. 90(cid:1) angle bend: 2. Fire polishing: 3. Glass stirring rod: 4. Capillary tube: Harcourt, Inc. Experiment 1 9