It's been a long time since I was in an organic synthesis lab as a technician (therefore, limited knowledge); however, boiling ether for recrystalization purposes just doesn't sound right. If they are using ether as a "good" solvent to dissolve their material in before crashing it out with a "bad" solvent and it takes heating it to make it go into solution, sounds like a bad choice of solvents. They could have been following a proven recipe though and for that I don't have an answer. Maybe closed system under nitrogen with the bad solvent dripped in??? As for the butyl lithium, definitely under an inert gas, closes system with a bleed line (bubbler). Adding the alcohol drop-wise to the butyl lithium. Cooled with something that's not water-based. Found this doing a quick google search. Haven't read it though. http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/sop_library/Particularly%20Hazardous%20O perations%20SOPs/quench-reactive-organometallic-.doc Kimberly Begley Jeskie, MPH-OSHM Operations Manager Physical Sciences Directorate Oak Ridge National Laboratory (865) 574-4945 -----Original Message----- From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of ACTSNYC**At_Symbol_Here**CS.COM Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 11:51 AM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [DCHAS-L] Questions out of my realm All, I got the following two questions from a colleague and since I work in the art field, these are out of my area. Can I get some help? 1. a student was boiling ether in a large open flask on a stirrer hotplate and the fume alone caught on fire, inside the hood. . Do you have suggestions for them to reduce the ether amount for re-crystallization in a safer manner? 2. a student in was quenching butyl lithium with n-propanol in an open flask and it also caught on fire. Is there a safer way to quench the butyl lithium w;ithout catching on fire? Monona Rossol
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