Communication pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
An Accessible Mercury-Free Vacuum Schlenk Line for Air-Free Techniques Donald E. Linn, Jr.* Department of Chemistry, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46805-1499, United States S Supporting Information *
ABSTRACT: A vacuum Schlenk line is essential for teaching some air-free laboratory techniques. Conventional variations of this apparatus in the inorganic laboratory employ mercury bubblers, which makes them unsuitable for institutions seeking to eliminate mercury. This communication describes an effective modification of a vacuum line system that can be set up with minimal time and effort.
KEYWORDS: Upper-Division Undergraduates, Inorganic Chemistry, Laboratory Instruction, Organic Chemistry, Safety/Hazards, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives, Laboratory Equipment/Apparatus, Organometallics
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functions listed above. Further, this contribution describes how to convert a common vacuum system (“Burlitch line”) encountered in the inorganic synthesis laboratory into a mercury-free alternative.13,14
he impetus for this contribution is the increased attention to the hazards of mercury in the laboratory. This Journal has published articles that describe the use of the mercury bubbler to introduce inert gases to reactions that must be protected from the atmosphere, and safety notes to provide ways to eliminate or protect the lab from mercury in thermometers and McLeod gauges.1−7 Our institution has initiated a mercury reduction policy. The driving force for this policy, The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy, signed by Canada and the United States in April 1997, set a goal of virtual elimination of mercury with significant measurable results by 2006,8a and it is a policy that continues to be implemented.8b The purpose of this contribution is to provide a convenient way to eliminate mercury in vacuum Schlenk lines that utilize moderate pressures (2 psig positive pressure and effectively shields an air-sensitive organometallic (ZnCl2[Cp2TiCl]2) from the atmosphere, that is, maintains
