A rotovap, or rotary evaporator, decreases pressure in the apparatus.
The presence of reduced pressure in the rotovap causes the solvent in the round bottom flask to boil at a lower temperature than normal.
This reduction in pressure also decreases the boiling point of the solvent, making the removal of high boiling solvents faster and safer.
By adding a vacuum source to the rotovap, it becomes easier and safer to use, improves sample separation, and helps preserve the sample.
4 Key Points to Understand How a Rotovap Works
The benefit of using a rotovap over a simple distillation system is that the rotation of the evaporating flask, combined with a heated water bath, increases the surface area of the product.
This leads to faster distillation and keeps the mixture evenly mixed and heated, promoting stable and even evaporation.
The rotovap operates through the continuous distillation of large volumes of volatile solvents under reduced pressure.
It can facilitate processes such as evaporation, concentration, drying, crystallization, and solvent recovery. The solvents removed during the process can be collected and used for other purposes in later experiments.
The rotovap can reduce and seal pressure to as much as 400-600 mmHg.
The solvents inside the evaporation flask are heated in a heating bath, reaching temperatures near the boiling point of the solvents.
The rotation of the flask causes the solvent to form a thin film, increasing the evaporation area.
The hot steam produced during these processes can be quickly liquified, speeding up the evaporation process.
Bumping is a potential issue in a rotovap, where the sample boils excessively or rapidly, resulting in bubbles that can expel or blow the sample out of the flask.
To prevent bumping, it is important to control and monitor the temperature and vacuum level carefully, increasing them gently to avoid triggering bumps and foams.
Additionally, the volume of the sample should be less than half of the flask to ensure enough surface area to mitigate rapid boiling.
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