Quartz equipment

Quartz tube (for chlorination) with quartz boat (in front)

The quartz tube and quartz boat are fairly expensive. Quartz is in many ways different than Pyrex from which most of the other equipment is made. It is more heat resistant (m.p. ~1400 ^oC for quartz, m.p. ~560 ^oC for Pyrex) and has a lower thermal expansion coefficient as well. It permits to run reactions at higher temperatures. There are several important points to consider when it comes to working with quartz.

1. Always use gloves when you touch the quartz tube. Your skin desorbs alkali metals that cause the quartz to crystallize (--- > cracking upon heating!). Make sure that you clean the quartz tube and the boat immediately when you are done with the reaction. Many impurities e.g. bases cause damage to quartz. When you set up the tube, make sure that you support it properly.

2. The cuvettes that you will be using to acquire the UV-Vis spectra will be made from quartz as well. They have a diameter (pathlength) of 1.00 cm. One of those cuvettes cost ~$150, so please make sure that you don't break or lose them. The plastic cuvettes will not work because they dissolve in most organic solvents like chloroform, dichloromethane, etc.