Hello community!!
What is the proper cleaning method for Glasswares( vials, reagent bottles), plastic falcons used for clay materials (Sepiolite, MSN) and polymeric nanoparticles based experiments?
Dear Mohamed Umair ,
Despite the usual methods for cleaning such as solvents and detergents and water, in our lab we employ two other options when these are nos suitable:
1) Sometimes we try to use an oven at very high temperature, to degrade anything (i.e. 600ºC or more). After that, a usual cleaning procedure is enough.
2) We use a solution that is called "Potasa". You should dissolve KOH in isopropanol. The solution should be saturated in KOH. One detail regarding this solution: always gloves to manipulate it, but also, after washing the glass ware with this, you should prepare a slight acid bath (HCl + water por example), in order to neutralize the remaining -OH of the glass, that are generated during the cleaning in potasa.
Hope it helps!
Best of luck!
In addition to Dr. Casarino, in our practice we also have solution called "Hromovaya smes' ". It consists of potassium dichromate and concentrated sulfuric acid. As it was for "Potasa", you should use gloves during work with it. For its preparation, you need to dissolve 9 g of potassium dichromate into 100 ml of H2SO4 (add acid to the powder), and then heat and stir to total powder dissolution. You should not wait before boiling, 50 C will be enough. Then, mixture should be kept in closed glass flask - before it gets green, it is still usable
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