CHE 450G: Practical Inorganic Chemistry

U of KY Dept of Chemistry

Addenda to GeH4

Changes and Additions

  1. The reaction will performed at half the scale described in your book.

  2. Perform this additional background reading before coming to lab:

  3. CAUTION: vacuum line work can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. In addition, you will want to consult the MSDS for the materials you will be using in this exercise.

  4. CAUTION: Never open a gas cylinder to a vacuum line without TRIPLE checking that you are open to a source of pressure release such as bubbler. In addition, make sure you have an appropriate two stage regulator or needle valve so you are not suddenly introducing several hundred psi into a glass manifold!

  5. Because of time constraints, the two lab teams must work together for the synthesis portion of this experiment. However, each lab team should collect their own data for the characterization!

  6. There are alternative vacuum line techniques for doing this reaction, however we are trying to teach you the principles of trap-to-trap distillation as well as the determination of molecular weights.

  7. Our vacuum line setup is not identical to the one in your textbook. You may want to consider taping numbers onto the valves that correspond to the numbering scheme used in the text. That way there will be less confusion or chance of opening the wrong valve at the wrong time. Here's a picture of the line you'll be using:

    the line

  8. Never throw anything away until you're certain you know what it is (or isn't) and whether you might need it! This is a general rule that is true for ALL your experiments.

  9. Make sure that you shut down the line and put the trap in the hood before you leave for the day.

  10. If you dirty the vacuum manifold during this experiment it is your responsibility to clean it. It only takes about 5 hours to do properly and is almost as much fun as moving a beach full of sand with a pair of tweezers.

    Always leave common equipment in clean and usable condition!

    [CHE 450G Handouts]   [CHE 450G Homepage]

    This page was last updated and is copyright 1996-2000 by Rob Toreki. All rights reserved.