54 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [NoV. 28 : 



A New Form of Condenser for W^ater Analysis and a 

 Compact Distilling Apparatus. 



BY FRANCIS P. SMITH. 



A compact form of distillation apparatus had for some time 

 past seemed to me a desirable thing, and when the desirability 

 j)resented itself in the form of a necessity, my ideas took the 

 definite shape that I shall present to you this evening-. 



The first ready-made object to which I objected was the long 

 and cumbersome Liebig condenser, which, when placed in an 

 inclined position and connected to a retort, usually occupies a 

 space of somewhat more than a yax'd in length. Besides this, 

 the connection between a retort neck and a condenser is fre- 

 questly a very unsatisfactory one. 



My first step was to secure a piece of block tin pipe 3-16 of 

 an inch in diameter and about twenty inches long. One end 

 was cut off square by means of a jack-knife, and the other 

 slanting, so as to facilitate the dro2:)ping of the condensed liquid. 

 I mention the means employed because in this way it is possible 

 to make a perfectly clean and even cut, with no burr such as a 

 saw would leave. The pipe is next twisted around a circular 

 rod about 1-2 an inch thick in a regular sj^iral, beginning four 

 inches from one end and ending the same distance from the 

 other. By this means it is possible to produce at small cost an 

 excellent spiral block tin condenser, which may be used for a 

 variety of purposes. A tube for containing the water may be 

 made of a piece of glass tubing of sufficient diameter, closed at 

 each end by a rubber stopper provided Avith two holes, one for 

 the exit or inlet tube and the other for the block tin jiipe. 

 When in use for a water analysis or Kjeldahl distillation it is 

 conveniently set up in a vertical position, attached to a large 

 iron tripod by a clamp, and the generating flask is fastened to the 

 same support by a similar clamp. 



A feature in this connection is the employment of a so-called 

 evajiorating burner for heating the liquid to be distilled. Play- 

 ing upon the bottom of an Erlenmeyer flask this gives a number 

 of heated points from which the bubbles seem to rise readily, 

 and even strongly alkaline solutions boil easily and without any 

 of the characteristic bumping usually so annoying. The flames 

 should be about half an inch high and should come nearly the 

 same distance from the bottom of the flask. The Wurtz tube is 

 added as an additional safeguard against bumping. 



The mounting of the entire apparatus upon one stand gives . 



