How to clean rotary evaporator glass parts

Before any cleaning, the entire glass assembly of the rotary evaporator needs to be inspected. First, pay attention to any accumulation of dirt; second, there may be damage and cracks in the glass parts (this is also a factor leading to the poor sealing of rotary evaporator).

How to clean the external glass parts of vacuum rotary evaporator:

Ideally, glass parts should be cleaned immediately after each concentrated distillation, especially if corrosive solvents are used. All exterior glassware parts can be wiped with a paper towel or damp cloth moistened with water or ethanol. Do not use a hard brush that may scratch the glassware. Do not use soaked cloths or paper towels as solvent or water may enter the system and cause any electrical problems.

How to clean the internal glass parts of distillation rotary evaporator:

Internal glass parts are the most difficult to clean and the most likely to cause sample cross-contamination. Cleaning should be carried out after each experiment. Proceed as follows:

1. Remove the screw cap on the top of the condenser.

2. Based on the last use, choose the most appropriate solvent or water to flush the inside of the condenser.

3. Empty the collecting bottle, reconnect and close the condenser screw cap.

4. Use the feed cock valve to fill the evaporation flask with water or other related solvents, or manually remove the evaporation flask and fill it.

5. Perform distillation to thoroughly clean the entire system.

6. Empty the collecting bottle, reconnect, and let the system run in continuous mode for about 5 minutes.

In addition, carefully check where the condenser is connected to the main unit, especially the lower part where the vacuum seal is located. Here, the sample will be deposited due to the bumping of rotovap rotary evaporator, causing the sample to overshoot into the condenser. This not only causes sample cross-contamination and affects sealing, but also causes sample loss.