Difference between revisions of "FumeHood"

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* Making aerogels
 
* Making aerogels
 
* Synthesizing organic and inorganic dyes
 
* Synthesizing organic and inorganic dyes
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== Construction ==
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[[File:fumehood_construction1.jpg|400px]]

Revision as of 18:29, 11 November 2017

Project FumeHood
Status In progress
Contact Mux, PeterC, Thomas
Last Update 2017-11-11

For some time now, there has been some interest in performing chemistry experiments and the like at RevSpace, with PeterC having amassed a decent amount of glassware and chemicals over the past 2 years. Unfortunately, whereas we have stockpiled quite a fun assortment of chemicals, we are still missing a lot of glassware, equipment and above all a safe environment to do proper chemistry in. Project FumeHood will change this.

This project aims to provide a complete environment to safely do a very wide variety of chemistry experiments by:

  • Providing a safe fume cupboard, made from chemically inert materials, to do the experiments in
  • Providing within the fume cupboard all the amenities you expect in a proper chemistry lab: electric outlets, gas connections, water connections, vacuum takeoff and of course air extraction through a carbon filter
  • Providing dedicated, safe storage for glassware and chemicals
  • Buying, as part of the project, a wide assortment of compatible glassware
  • Buying a few necessary chemicals
  • Buying, separately, a hot plate stirrer

The fume hood will be located in the Werkplaats, right next to the exit, facing the lounge.

Fume Hood construction

Some fume hood construction details:

  • Table height: 85cm
  • Cupboard inside height: min 95cm
  • Width: min. 110cm (up to 140cm outside size is possible)
  • Outside depth: 60-80cm
  • Compartmentalized storage underneath fume cupboard, with doors
  • Special mini-compartment with safe for extremely hazardous chemical storage
  • Inside of fume cupboard is lined with glass fiber, possibly with white PC sheet cladding for easy cleaning
  • Glass fiber is reinforced with aramid fiber bands for explosion-proofness
  • Table is toughened glass, for easy cleaning and chemical resistance
  • Two steel bars run along the back and top with holes tapped with M8 threads every 10cm; lab stand-style rods can screw into these
  • Polycabonate sheet single slide-up door with glove holes, on spring-loaded linear guides and with simple up/down retaining latches
  • Main skeleton out of wood
  • Connections on the inside:
    • 2x230V IP44 PVC outlets
    • 2x barbed hose connectors for water (to water mains or circulating pump)
    • 1x barbed hose connector for bunsen gas/argon
    • 1x special (?) connector for vacuum take-off (vacuum pump can sit on the table besides the fume cupboard)
  • Dedicated fuse box on the side of the fume cupboard?
  • Soviet army style cylindrical carbon filter on the exhaust, followed by a 450m3/h or more fan
  • Table has a 2cm+ lip to contain spills. Caulked or epoxied to glass fiber all around.
  • Fire door. No automatic fire suppression.

Glassware

We will be ordering the following glassware, all 29/32:

  • Rods, clips and connectors for latticebuilding
  • 600mm Leibig condenser
  • 400mm Vigureaux fractional distillation column
  • 500mm Dimroth condenser
  • Thermometer stopper
  • Vacuum takeoff
  • Parallel neck adapter
  • 75 deg adapter (distillation setups, etc.)
  • Glass stoppers
  • Soxhlet extractor (+possibly joint)
  • 50, 100, 250 and 500ml roundbottom flasks
  • Keck clips
  • A 500ml drop funnel (which we'll abuse as a separatory funnel as well)
  • Waste bottles (soda lime glass) + caps
  • Reaction plates and crucibles

What are we going to do with the fume hood?

Of course, we're not building a big, expensive project like this just for the fun of construction. We do intend on doing a fair amount of cool chemistry. A nonexhaustive list of the projects thought up so far:

  • Making a lithium-ion battery (also involves project Smeltoven)
  • Gold, palladium and platinum recovery from computer components using the cyanide pathway (also involves project Smeltoven)
  • Chip decapping
  • Making sodium and/or potassium metal using the new Nurdrage method
  • Playing with project DIY solid-state stirrer
  • Anodizing aluminum (and doing it right this time!)
  • Making sodium silicide (for hydrogen production)
  • Demonstration project: glowsticks (TCPO method)
  • Demonstration project: copper salt crystal growth
  • Demonstration project: basic electrolysis
  • Demonstration project: Clock reaction
  • Making aerogels
  • Synthesizing organic and inorganic dyes

Construction

Fumehood construction1.jpg