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Fritted glass funnels are used for vacuum (suction) filtration. They
have a porous (fritted) glass disk in the middle that allows filtrate
to drain through while leaving solids behind. They are more
convenient to use than Buchner funnels because there is no filter
paper to worry about, but they are harder to clean.
Fritted funnels come in a variety of sizes from 2 mL to 2 liters or
so. The most common useful sizes are 10, 30 and 60 mL. To use a
frit, first select a rubber vacuum adapter(s) of proper size (below,
left; you can order a set of these "filter flask adapters" from Fisher
Scientific, part number 10-184). DO NOT use a one-hole rubber
stopper (below, right) because inserting/removing these is
difficult and can lead to broken glassware as well as personal
injury.

To filter, put the adapter and frit on a filter flask (side-arm

Erlenmeyer flask). Notice in the picture on the right
that the flask is securely clamped to avoid spillage and
breakage (frits are expensive). Frits require special
care, so be sure to read the General Tips below before
using one, and always be sure to clean your frits
properly.

Frits come in different porosities. Here are the porosity designations used by the leading
manufacturers:

Ace Glass
Chemglass
Kimble

Porosity Pore Size

Grade Designation (Microns) Principal Uses

Fine Filtration and extraction

Medium Filtration and extraction

Coarse Coarse filtration, adsorption, gas

washing, gas absorption.

B 70 - 100 Coarse filtration, adsorption, gas

-- -- washing, gas absorption.
-- --

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 Extra A 145 - 174 Coarse filtration, adsorption, gas
Coarse XC 170 - 220 washing, gas absorption.
EC 170 - 220

A general rule of thumb: The finer the porosity the longer it takes to perform the
filtration. A medium frit is ideal for almost all your laboratory work.

If you are filtering to remove a very fine precipitate and don't want material to clog
the pores of your frit, you should first layer a pad of Celite (also known as
diatomaceous earth or Kieselguhr ) on the frit. Wet the pad with your solvent
and then filter your solution, taking care not to disturb the Celite layer. If your
filtration slows down or stops you can simply stir the topmost layer of the Celite
pad.
Avoid filtering charcoal solutions on a frit unless you are using a thick Celite pad.
Carbon does not clean out of your frit using acid, base or solvents and can only be
removed by heating the frit in a furnace at 480 degrees C in an oxidizing
atmosphere. That's a lot of work unless you have a special oven for cleaning
glassware. Thermo Scientific sells Pyro-Clean® controlled atmosphere ovens which
appear to be a convenient way to remove otherwise intractable organic residues
from all sorts of glassware, including frits.
If you clean your frit as soon as you are done with your experiment it will be MUCH
easier to clean.
If you are using your frit to collect a product, be careful not to scrape the frit too
hard with your spatula. This can damage the frit as well as contaminate your
product with small glass particles.
Never soak your frit in a base bath (see below).

Purification of Laboratory Chemicals is one of many books and

pamphlets you'll find at Safety Emporium.

There are many different methods used to clean frits. One

older method uses a chromic acid solution (Chromerge etc.).
However, this method should be avoided as Cr(VI) is an
environmental pollutant.
Avoid soaking your frits in a base bath solution. These eat
away at the frit and can make it extremely brittle or even
dissolve the frit itself!

Cleaning a frit has several basic steps. There are many variants
of this procedure:

1. Remove all residues from the frit (Celite, precipitates etc.) and dispose of these in
appropriate waste containers.
2. Scrub off any remaining residue with a brush or KimWipe, taking care not to
damage the frit.
3. Clean the frit using appropriate solvents (water, acetone etc.) and vacuum
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 filtration.
4. Soak the frit overnight in an appropriate cleaning solution. A good one is sulfuric
acid/Nochromix . Always make sure that your cleaning solution is compatible
with the chemical residues on your frit!
5. Use vacuum filtration to wash the frit thoroughly with distilled water, dilute
ammonium hydroxide (if you used acid) and distilled water.
6. Dry and use!

If a frit runs slowly or is still clogged after this cleaning procedure, you can try pulling a
dilute HF solution through it or let it soak in a base bath for several hours.

CAUTION: TAKE CARE NOT TO MIX INCOMPATIBLES DURING THE FRIT CLEANING
PROCESS.

Do not pull acetone (or other organics) and sulfuric acid (or hydrogen peroxide)
into the same filter flask. This mixture will explode and cause serious injury or
death. Always keep organics and acids separated during the cleaning process.
Always wear proper personal protective equipment such as goggles, a lab coat and
apron when cleaning frits with acid. Accidents tend to happen most commonly
when you are "just cleaning up" and become lax about the possible dangers
involved.
Some people use "piranha solution" (sulfuric acid + 30% hydrogen peroxide) to
clean frits. This method is exceedingly dangerous and has resulted in many serious
laboratory accidents and injuries. Read this firsthand accident description (the last
post in that document) and you will understand just how dangerous it is. NEVER
use it.

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