A Simple, Compact Nitrogen Bubbler Many chemical reactions require maintaining an inert atmosphere, and many more would benefit from excluding air, to reduce impurities resulting from air oxidation. We have constructed a simple nitrogen bubbler for this purpose. Silicone ail (or Hg) is added through B to a height of 1-2 mm ahove the tip of the dip tuhe. The only critical aspects of construction are that R he high enough to avoid splattering of oil out of the tube and that the volume of the upper rhamher he large enough to contain all the oil in case a drop in pressure causes the oil to hack up the dip t...~.. n h. ~ ~ In ur, for milintnininy o n inert otnwiphrrr, thcdrvlw ia sltnrhed t u the ~ I a ijcint i # > I4 f l . 4 reflux i ~ , n c l r n ~ e r , ~ ~ r d r clunnrl,and ~ p p i ~ ~ g i l w t gas is p n w d thrcwh A, n d p t i n g ~ h flu* r 111x1~ a bubble every 1-2 s. For purging apparatus through a separate opening or for monitoring gas evolution, tuhe A is closed off with a rubher bulb. The gas flow can he led from B into a reagent such as NaOH. for examole. when monitorina CO2 evolution in the Hundsdiecker reaction. The advan&gesof thisunit are that it is cornpad, occupying about the space of a conventional drying tuhe, and it is easy to use and store, either hy hanging it frnm the glass loop or hy setting i t on the pins of n test tuhe rack.
R. M. Baldwin Medi-Physics. Inc. Emeryville. CA 94608 A. Rhodes Pacific Flame Glass Works Emeryville, CA 94608
178
Journal of Chemical Education
