An Inexpensive Dry Box for Undergraduate Use In the intt.grilt4 lnhorator) at the Ilniwrsrty of Guelph. we have mtrduced n number of expenmenti nhwh require an anhydrw- or oxygen. free atmosphere. Orlginnll\, rhese conditwns uerc ohrnincd using dispusable dry bags; however, in the hands of inexperienced experimenters these bags suffer from the disadvantages of ease of upset of the contents and impmper sealing, with a resultant expensively high use of dry nitrogen, quite apart from the cost of the disposable bags themselves. The dry box described in this note was designed to be sufficiently air tight to allow successful handling of moderately sensitive compounds a t a cost much below that of a commercial researeh-quality apparatus. The drv, box.. which is illustrated in the accam~anvine figure. . .. is 36 X 1.4 x 24 rhelzht) and. with rhr exrept.on of the from, is ronsrrurrrd of Lr-tn plywood, senlcd on horh aides with rno roars of epoxy \.arnish hrforr iahricarim A ' L ~ - L I I . E ~ C Nuf I'ICXICI~S form* the frunt: standard amlrrdexrrous gloves are mounted by sandwiching between the front and a parallel Plexiglas ring. A side door, secured by wing nuts, permits entry to the boa. Both the Plexiglas front and the door are made to fit in a gas-tight fashion through perimeter gaskets cut fmm neoprene rubber sheeting. A double 3-pin receptacle box set into the rear allows the use of electrical equipment such as a magnetic stirrer, while two rear-mounted ports (we used discarded bench type gasoutlets) are provided for flushing with an inert atmosphere
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N. J.Bunee University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario
474 / Journal of Chemical Education
