Are acetone, methanol, and ethanol proper as cleaning agents for glassware?
In addition to volatility, solubility, and low cost,
what kinds of reason that ensure them as good cleaning agents?
Glassware equipment are the places where practical chemistry is done for learning and/or research. If you see the dirty glassware in many universities of the 3rd world, you will suspect that wrong results are the usual outcome.
To insure getting excellent lab results, my classmates & me were taught these "rituals" in the British University where I did my postgraduate studies:
- Always wash glass lab ware immediately after use. This includes using liquid detergents plus water with soft brushes.
- Follow that by using NaOH solution and brush the inner surfaces of glass and then rinse with good amount of water.
- If a thorough cleaning is not immediately possible, always allow the glassware to soak in ,e.g. chromic acid or dilute HCl or dilute nitric acid overnight. Rinse the equipment, afterwards, with water.
- If you still see some residue or color inside, apply solvents "as you suggested" then brush & rinse.
- Subject the glassware to direct Bunsen burner flame rotating it so as nearly every spot is reached.
-Repeat the above as necessary until you get a glass that looks as if it is brand new.
In case of having "stubborn" impurities, the choice left is to bring new glassware from the stores. Good chemistry requires good clean glassware.
All points made by Nizar are good, except for one that I don't recommend is the usage of Chromic Acid, which can be avoided. It's a carcinogen, corrosive, can't be neutralized in the case of a spill and can't be easily discarded.
https://ehs.research.uiowa.edu/spill-response-guide-corrosive-acids
https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Aldrich/Bulletin/al_techbull_al228.pdf
Please check previous RG related discussions: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_acid_to_use_to_clean_glassware https://www.researchgate.net/post/Apart_form_chromic_acidsince_it_is_carcinogen_what_are_the_other_chemicals_we_can_use_for_cleaning_glasswares https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_base_bath_do_you_prefer_to_clean_your_glassware_iPrOH_KOH_EtOH_NaOH_Is_there_data_showing_that_one_is_more_efficient_than_another https://www.researchgate.net/post/Whats_the_usual_molarity_for_acid_wash_Nitric_acid_to_wash_away_metals_in_glassware
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