Experiment no 3.

Preparation of polystyrene by an anionic polymerization method

Introduction of glasswares

Buchner flask:

Introduction:

A Buchner flask (also called a vacuum flask, a filter flask, a side-arm flask or a kitasato flask) is
a flask made of glass.It is commonly thought to be named after the Nobel Laureate, Eduard
Buchner, but it is actually named after the industrial chemistErnst Buchner. It is also known as a
Kitasato flask, in honor of KitasatoShibasabur.

Structure:

A Buchner flask has thick walls so that a pressure change will not break it. It has a hole in the top
where a Buchner funnel can be put and a small tube in the side where a vacuum can be attached.
The small tube has barbs on it so that the vacuum will not weaken.

Fig. Buchner flask

Uses:

A Buchner flask can be used with a Buchner funnel for separating solids and liquids. Water is
poured into the Buchner funnel and the liquid passes through filter paper and is sucked up by a
vacuum attached to the side of the Buchner flask, while the solid stays behind in the Buchner
funnel .The Buchner flask can also be used as a vacuum trap in a vacuum line to ensure that no
fluids are carried over from the aspirator or vacuum pump (or other vacuum source) to the
evacuated apparatus, or vice versa.

Buchner Funnel:
Introduction:
  A Buchner funnel is a piece of laboratory equipment.It is traditionally made
of porcelain, but glass and plastic funnels are also available.
Structure:
A Buchner funnel can be made out of porcelain, glass or plastic. On the top there is a container
with a hole in the bottom. This container is put on top of a Buchner flaskwith a hole in the top
and a hole in the side. In between the container and the Buchner flask there is a piece
of filter paper which lets through liquids but not any solids. Attached to the hole in the side there
is a vacuum which sucks the air out of the Buchner flask. This means that when any mixture is
poured into the top, the liquid is sucked through the filter paper and the solid is left stuck in the
filter paper.

Fig. Buchner funnel

Advantage:
The main advantage in using this type of filtration is that it proceeds much more quickly (several
orders of magnitude) than simply allowing the liquid to drain through the filter medium via the
force of gravity.
Uses:
It is often used in combination with a Buchner flask, Buchner ring and sinter seals.
Thermometer:

An instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically one consisting of a narrow,
hermetically sealed glass tube marked with graduations and having at one end a bulb containing
mercury or alcohol which extends along the tube as it expands.
Parts:
A thermometer has two important elements
 A temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb on a mercury-in-glass thermometer) in which some
physical change occurs with temperature
 some means of converting this physical change into a numerical value (e.g. the visible scale
that is marked on a mercury-in-glass thermometer).
Principle:

There are various principles by which different thermometers operate. They include the thermal
expansion of solids or liquids with temperature, or the change in pressure of a gas on heating or
cooling. Radiation-type thermometers measure the infrared energy emitted by an object,
allowing measurement of temperature without contact.

Mercury in glass thermometer

Uses:
Thermometers are widely used in industry to control and regulate processes, in the study of weather,
in medicine, and scientific research.