Mini-rotovap

Th is is something I have been wanting to do for a really long time. It is not until I brought an NMR sample into the box that I got frustrated enough to do something. If I wanted to save the NMR sample or run a reaction with it in another solvent, I would have to pour the sample into a round bottom flask, bring it out of the glovebox, remove the solvent on the vacuum line and bring the sample back into the box. There was no easy method to get the sample into a vial either. Enter the poor person’s Biotage V-10. The Biotage V-10 is a really slick solvent removal system. Problem is that it is fairly large and expensive.

I was able to scrounge up this old unused rotovap. Jim Hodgson at Kansas State University made the short top of the rotovap. Thorlabs has a nice little clamp that rotates, so I could position the rotovap at any angle. I wanted a more vertical configuration to save on space. The travel hairdryer was courtesy of Amazon Prime. Just have to hook up the “new” vacuum pump now, since the diaphragm pump did not pull a good enough vacuum. It was good enough for filtrations, but not rotovaps. I think I will really like this new addition to the glovebox.