NurdRage - 2015-03-14
In this video we purify sulfuric acid by distillation using a heating mantle we built in a previous video. The reason why we need a special heating mantle is because most don't get hot enough to boil sulfuric acid. Click here for our original video on how to make a high temperature heating mantle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5meDWAqYes The heating mantle in the video is connected to a variac autotransformer off-camera. But a light dimmer switch can provide the same power control for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, a PID controller may be used. In this heating mantle, a 100 mL flask is placed that has been half way with dirty sulfuric acid from drain cleaner. This is connected to a Liebig condenser via a 90 degree elbow joint that's been lubricated with high-temperature grease. A receiving beaker is placed at the end of the condenser to collect the distillate. Water is circulated through the condenser and the power is turned on. The power is slowly ramped up until refluxing is observed in the round bottom flask. At first, water is condensed as well as any volatile impurities. To tell when concentrated acid begins condensing, occasionally apply a few drops of the distillate to a tissue. if the distillate is mostly water then the tissue will just get wet. When the distillate is concentrated acid, the tissue will decompose. The receiver beaker is changed for an empty one and the acid is collected. At this point the acid is concentrated, but not yet the typical 98% concentration of azeotropic sulfuric acid. To know when this point is reached, observe the receiver and note when the collected distillate is refracting light. If it is then the acid is still increasing in concentration and density and the receiver should be changed out. When the receiver is collecting acid that is homogeneous without refracting light then the acid is of uniform density corresponding to the azeotrope of 98%. Keep collecting until about 20% of the dirty acid remains in the round bottom flask. It's not recommended to continue as the acid tends to bump at this point. Turn off the power and allow the apparatus to cool.
So that's two videos in two weeks, obviously what this means is that we can expect a video every weekend for the rest of time. I am glad to see you posting again though!
Thanks for watching my video everyone.
I hope to get my tubestart crowd funding campaign ready in the coming weeks.
@34Scrooge
I think you suffered some bumping. You need to add boiling stones to prevent that. Adding small pieces of porcelain or other ceramics BEFORE (!!!) you start heating, should solve your problems.
+NurdRage Wow! where did you find that nice high temp all metal flask clamp?
+NurdRage
If it's on the order of years it may still be a problem. What happens when concentrated acid and water mix?
Is this not a serious hazard?
Actually I have carried out my experiment and distilled technical sulfuric acid under the vacuum. Worked like a charm. The only concern is a strong bumping which required very intensive agitation to suppress. My 1.5" magnetic stirrer handled 200 ml batch at 500 rpm quite well. Boiling point 165C/10mmHg.
NurdRage do you have a video on how to concentrate hydrogen peroxide ??
everytime you upload a video, i say "HEEEEEEE's ALIVEEEEEE!"
@JSparrowist
can you proove it in some way? the channel says its a group of people.
What my finger's want to type: Whaaaaaaaaaat????
What my mind wants to scream: DUDE YOU ARE AOIWSJWIAOJSDFOAJWRIODJASIODD HE'S A GUY AWOIERAOSRHOOJKIOQJWIOJIORASIO NOT A SHE WOIRHELAUHDLGHALFHIASFF Dies
@***** I figured the sweater was more fit for a female; and I used to play Halo 2 way back when, they had a 'voice mask' which made, more or less voices sound the same regardless of gender
@gamerpaddy yes, you can, at least if the person isn't wearing gloves, there are always the same fingers, it's best to recognize it by the thumb
@Lucid Focks uh...
Would be nice to have more Nurdrage videos in the future :) Love your videos!
I absolutely love everything you guys do for us viewers. Thank you for another awesome video.
Hey man I just want to thank you, I learn so much from every single video that I cover my arms with notes after about 10 videos, what I learned from you has actually helped me qualify for the second part of the american chemical association exam, by the way I'm a tenth grader from the states.
GREAT video!
I like to use a thermometer to set what boils off. Lower temps to remove VOCs, and gradually increase until the boil point of the acid, around 650 (330C). Temps outside a +10 range are contaminated. It is a hand built electric kiln, Kanthal A1 wire. :)
Excellent video as always. Glad to see that you have a proper lab space again.
How can you not love science? Thanks for another AWESOME video!!!!!
Thanks for the video. I am glad, that you are making them again.
Stellar as always!
NurdRage! I am your big fun! Please make more awesome videos like that! Can you make a glow powder with Terbium metal?
Awesome video! Cant say I'd ever distill sulfuric.... I've distilled bromine several times, but boiling sulfuric is truly nasty stuff! Have you ever looked into Rooto drain opener? It has been titrated by several amateur chemists to be approx 95-98% purity, depending upon the batch (and exposure to atmospheric moisture I would guess). Its surprisingly clear as well. Would be great if you could do an analysis on Rooto to determine purity, and what impurities are present.
This is literally one of the scariest things I do in my home lab. Boiling AZ h2so4 will char skin on contact.
NurdRage, when are you going to make that video about making potassium chlorate via electrolysis that you said you were gonna do a long time ago?
@TerminvsEst It's not difficult. Buy Potassium Chloride, make a saturated solution of it and purchase a MMO anode off of ebay. You can either buy a titanium cathode, use a graphite rod or use a SS knife(needs to be replaced often). Run current through this, 6(preferably 5) volts. Do this until crystals of KClO3 no longer form.
could you recombine earlier fractions and distill them again? Or are the concentrations too low.
I have had some questions on Distillation; how is it that the acid remains in solution if the the water becomes vapor? I know a similar method is used for extracting essential oils out of plants. What determine weather a compound will remain in solution when it is a vapor?
awesome. Re: the sugar and the Sulfuric Acid - How strong a reaction is that? if you were to contain in in a pressure vessel what sort of pressure would result? Does it heat up? It was such a quick aside to the video - it could have used its own video!
Glad to see you're back!!!
Is there anything you need? User submissions? Materials? neat... stuff?
It's so good to have you back here, NurdRage!
Another great video. Thanks for posting.
Awesome that you're back man!
Thanks for starting the videos back up :-)
A very interesting and informative video.
Greetings Excellent Video I have a question Can you increase the acid concentration using a vacuum pump Or you can decrease the process time by applying a vacuum to the distillation.
really useful. Thank you for such precise explanation
Great video I'd like to learn how to purity nitric acid too
Nice video, NurdRage. Can you make a video on neutralizing nitric acid or sulfuric acid. Thanks for your videos. Moe
I didn't know KIRA likes to do chemistry.
Question: if i need to add 3% of Sulfuric Acid in 10 liters of water, can i use 1 liter bottle ( battery acid) of 30% Sulfuric Acid and add 9,3 liter water? Thanks
Love your videos I also told my teacher and she is checking them out happy to see more videos also is that your real voice and do you do voice overs for your videos
Simply outstanding!👍👍👍👍👍
What high temp grease do you use?
Welcome back! missed you!
If you get to make a video on the Chemical Traffic Light and/or the Blue Bottle experiments, it would be cool.
You should make a video showing how to make sodium,magnesium,calcium metal
This is pretty awesome!
Ney NR, great video, been wanting one this simple for a while!
I don't have access to an electric element for my distillation setup, and use a single propane burner, usually under a waterbath (I've never been brave when it comes to applying direct flames to my glassware). Most of the reactions I run or plan on running don't venture much over the boiling point of water, but I know concentrating or purifying sulf. acid is much more difficult (and hazardous).
While it would take a lot longer (and more gas), do you feel an oil or sand bath would be able to meet the required temperature, so I can avoid having my glass under a direct flame?
@MolecularMelancholy Only a sandbath can go high enough to distill sulfuric acid. But even then, i still recommend a proper heating mantle as you have finer temperature control.
Agreed; thanks for the advice :) I'll do some more research about getting a mantle. Australia is an extremely prohibitive place for the home chemist, in particular for acquiring the reagents for retrieving precious metals from my e-scrap.
@MolecularMelancholy I know you can buy big 20L containers of hydrochloric acid from Mitre 10, i wouldn't imagine sulphuric acid would be harder to get...
YOU ARE AWESOME
SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!
Very nice Video. I'm studying chemistry in Germany now and i Hope you are going to make a video where you produce a new compound :)
@TheMeilinger He has videos where he synthesizes chemicals.
@purplemutantas i know but i hope he will make more of those videos :)
double win! obtain 98% h2so4 and clean glassware at the same time
Is the sugar/carbon snake reaction unique to sulphuric acid? What happens if you mix in hydrochloric acid, or nitric acid or something?
Is there any way to get higher than 98% other than adding so3 to it?
Great Video. I've been using Sodium percarbonate to clean drain cleaner to produce clean sulfuric acid. After an exothermic reaction, I usually end with very clear viscous H2S04, with a precipitate of what I believe is sodium sulfate. I was wondering, being sodium sulfate is hygroscopic, couldn't I just reduce the temperature of the solution close to freezing then pour off the acid and filter with fiberglass to get anhydrous sulfuric acid? (BTW I know I probably have peroxymonosulfuric acid after the reaction, but from what I understand it's fairly unstable and reverts to sulfuric acid) EDIT:Sulfur Trioxide SO3 is anhydrous H2S04 (dehydrated, i.e.-H2O) which is not sulfuric acid at all. It was a little confusing.
It would not be anhydrous or pure, but it would still be purer than before. So go for it :)
Cool stuff, thanks.
what is the temperature of the heating mantle?
Can someone please tell me how to set up the water supply for the condenser
I have a question! Im want to produce elemental silver from silver sulfate via electrolysis. currently im using pencil leads as electrodes. One of them is corroding. what electrodes should i use beside copper or metals that would contaminate the solution?
Use the mantle to also purify nitric acid, maybe make an updated complete guide to making nitric acid video.
Science 💕
TKOR - 2015-03-14
I love the way your mind works
ProCactus - 2018-05-11
Over 3 years later, You're still clueless.
cameron Gibbs - 2018-06-05
Are you in jail yet
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Mitchell Lyle - 2021-06-17
@Coleman Dylan I watch on Flixzone. Just search on google for it =)
Jared Aron - 2021-06-17
@Coleman Dylan try Flixzone. Just google for it =)