Rotovap Safety: Implosion, Bumping, and Peroxides | Linda's Lab

It's late on a Friday, and Lenny wants to strip some ether "real quick" before his bus. Linda has heard this plan before. In this Linda's Lab episode, she walks him through the five rotary evaporator safety habits that prevent glassware implosion, bumping, peroxide explosions, and solvent exposure. Read the full guide: Rotary Evaporator Safety: Implosion, Bumping, and Solvent Exposure https://www.labmanager.com/rotary-eva... CHAPTERS 0:00 Friday afternoon in Linda's lab 0:22 Inspect the flask for star cracks 0:36 Clip the flask and bump trap 0:47 Ramp vacuum slowly to prevent bumping 1:00 Empty traps and receivers 1:14 Test ethers for peroxides 1:29 A real rotovap incident at Texas Tech 1:53 Sash, goggles, and moving parts 2:12 Rotovap safety recap THE FIVE HABITS Inspect: check every flask for star cracks, scratches, and etching before each run. Shield: work behind the fume hood sash or a shield, and verify bath temperature independently. Clamp: clip the flask and bump trap, and use a clean bump trap. Ramp slowly: increase vacuum and rotation gradually, and don't overfill the flask. Know what's in the flask: test ethers for peroxides, never evaporate them to dryness, and empty traps before use. The Texas Tech incident described in this video comes from the university's EHS lessons-learned report (March 2021): https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ehs/about/l... More from Lab Manager: Lab evaporators compared: https://www.labmanager.com/laboratory... Peroxide formers and chemical shelf life: https://www.labmanager.com/chemical-s... Lab PPE programs: https://www.labmanager.com/lab-ppe-bu... This video was produced under Lab Manager's AI Editorial Guidelines: https://www.labmanager.com/page/edito... #LabSafety #RotaryEvaporator #LabManager