Laboratory Improvement with Fun cost with the technical advances made in composition materials. Cork is chemical and heat resistant. I t gives glassware a very solid support. I t is soft but . not spnng) r r rlef~rnmblc.It present; no srratchm:r or hard arras whrrc g l n w n r r inn he n ~ k t or d mnrkcd. and it ha.; nun-ikrd propcrtirs that hold un all kmdi of surfacrc. Oucdrowbnrk isthen,.it ufcork r : ! m . which wequ,.t~m the table taken from 3 1991 I995 commercial eatalaa (21.While a numb;?raf hame-mown alternatives to the smaller eork ring
$6.21 $7.48 $9.04 $17.95 $19.82 $20.65
A Happy-time Alternative We have found that wine corks can he shaped into strips, s t r u n g with capper or steel wires going through a couple of punctures in each cork. Corks have an average diameter of 2.0 em but range in lengths from three to five centimeters. Once prepared, the strip can be cut to give a ring of the required circumference (aprox. 38 cm for a ring with ID of 12 cm, 57 cm for ID 18 em1 and the wires knotted. This arrangement is quite resistant and can be rewired as manv times as needed. The quality . . of wine corks can be excellent, made from one solid piece (in the mare pricey wines), or, in the cheaper brands, made from compacted cork, which is slightly less resistant to wear and tear. A quick way of starting is to have a word with the managers of local restaurants. The stands become a catalog of the group's consciousness of health-related scientific results (3)and vintage preferences ( 4 ) .
Acknowledgment The authors wish to thank the technical collaboration of G. Gonzalez in the preparation of the manuscript and of an enthusiastic and rowdy crowd that collected the corks.
Literature Cited 1.
Gattermann, L. Pmkfische Orgnnische Chamir. 1st German ed.;Munchen. 1894. a. Gsttemann, L.: Weland. E.Prvelims de Quimiea Oqdaico. 2nd Spanish ed.: Marin: Bardona, 1944 2. 199411995 Rorter'p, Sei~nlificPmducts G n o r a l Caloiogua: Illinoi8, 1994. 3. Galdhrg. D.MEdiloriol 1995,41, 1616. 4. Moiatad. M.;Sublia,B.Die Weif d e Wains: Millhouse: Luzern, 1994.
D. Lorenzo and P. Moyna Facultad de Quimica Avda. General Flores 2124 Montevideo. Uruguay
1146
Journal of Chemical Education
