MFH - Experiments & Materials

[Mr.P]

The two test tube apparatus I used in high school was clearly more effective and convenient than any of my attempts with baking in mason jars and such. It produced a surprising amount of material in retrospect, and it was deposited pretty neatly into the bottom of the test tube. I'm definitely planning to set one of these up some
day - just to check variation from different materials run through it before trying any larger tar making effort.

 

[MaxFromHolland]

The two test tube apparatus I used in high school was clearly more effective and convenient than any of my attempts with baking in mason jars and such. It produced a surprising amount of material in retrospect, and it was deposited pretty neatly into the bottom of the test tube. I'm definitely planning to set one of these up some
day - just to check variation from different materials run through it before trying any larger tar making effort.

I would love to see an image or diagram of such setup, cant quite picture it.

 

[Mr.P]

I would love to see an image or diagram of such setup, cant quite picture it.

something like this, I think the tube holding the wood chips may have been the one that was slanted and the other one vertical in retrospect but I didn't feel like re-drawing it, it's been 40 years haha. having that tube more or less sideways would facilitate more even heating I think. even relatively dry wood has enough moisture in it to expand and turn to steam and force things through into the condenser side. if I recall it was learning to make the bent glass tube to length with rounded edges and the fact that water was being condensed from wood that was the topic of interest for that particular lab -as opposed to the incredibly strong smelling residue floating around in it.

 

[MaxFromHolland]

Surprising, these few bits of sandalwood 5 gr in 25 gr ethanol, already make the ethanol smell of sandalwood, which may suggest that more of the scent has moved from inside to surface than i thought.

 

[MaxFromHolland]

something like this, I think the tube holding the wood chips may have been the one that was slanted and the other one vertical in retrospect but I didn't feel like re-drawing it, it's been 40 years haha. having that tube more or less sideways would facilitate more even heating I think. even relatively dry wood has enough moisture in it to expand and turn to steam and force things through into the condenser side. if I recall it was learning to make the bent glass tube to length with rounded edges and the fact that water was being condensed from wood that was the topic of interest for that particular lab -as opposed to the incredibly strong smelling residue floating around in it.
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Ah Thanks now i get it 🙂
Yes i just had this surprise, finding all that moisture from my seemingly very dry oak chips in the tinfoil.
Your drawn setup is very much like the Choya setup with the gooseneck that i mentioned in the other thread. I was not sure how moisture would go through that gooseneck in a dry distillation, but now its obvious 🙂

 

[MaxFromHolland]

Btw i was testing with oakwood chips because i have plenty and there are fairly cheap, which both cant be said about sandalwood 🙂
Not sure that oak, treated this way, would make a good perfume ingredient..