What Are The Applications Of Glass Reactor

Glass reactor is a common laboratory equipment, which is suitable for many chemical reactions and experiments.

Type of Reaction Suitable for Glass Reactor

• Chemical synthesis: Glass reactors can be used to synthesize various organic compounds and pharmaceutical intermediates. Because of its high transparency and good chemical inertness, it is convenient to observe the chemical reaction process and material changes.
• Solvent extraction: Glass reactors can be used for solvent extraction, such as extraction and leaching, and for extracting natural products and drugs.
• Crystal growth: Glass reactors can be used for crystal growth, such as organic crystals and inorganic crystals, and for studying crystal structure and properties.
• Microbial fermentation: Glass reactors can be used for microbial fermentation reactions, such as the cultivation and fermentation of bacteria and yeast, and for the production of various biological products, such as antibiotics, enzymes and protein.
• Other reactions: The glass reactor can also be used for other conventional chemical reactions and experiments, such as material synthesis and material preparation.

The glass reactor can't carry out some reaction processes under certain conditions.

Acid-base alternating reaction: During this kind of reaction, acid-base substances will alternately react with glass components in the glass reactor, resulting in equipment damage.

Chemical reaction at high temperature or low temperature: Chemical reaction at high temperature or low temperature may cause excessive stress in the glass reactor, thus damaging the equipment.

Any concentration and temperature of hydrofluoric acid or fluoride-containing media or materials: hydrofluoric acid and fluoride-containing media or materials will react with the glass components in the glass reactor, resulting in equipment damage.

Any alkaline medium or material with PH greater than 12 and temperature higher than 80 °C: This kind of medium or material will also react with the glass components in the glass reactor, resulting in equipment damage.

Any phosphoric acid medium or material with concentration greater than 30% and temperature greater than 180 °C: Such medium or material will react with glass components in the glass reactor at high temperature, resulting in equipment damage.

Severe temperature change: If the glass reactor is not properly controlled and treated when the temperature changes sharply, it may lead to equipment damage.

Vacuum environment: If the glass reactor is used in vacuum environment, attention should be paid to the aging of vacuum hose and dirt on steel shaft, otherwise the equipment may not work normally.

Glass reactor is a kind of reaction container widely used in chemical experiments and production, which is mainly made of glass. It has been widely used in many fields because of its excellent corrosion resistance, high transparency and convenient observation of reaction progress.

If the reactant will corrode the metal containing iron, the stainless steel reactor cannot be selected; If the reaction system needs to be carried out under high pressure or alkaline reaction, the glass reactor cannot be selected; If the viscosity of the reactant is very high, a high-power motor is needed to complete the material stirring; If the reactant contains particles with high hardness, the reactor needs to choose materials with high strength.

Application Field 

• Chemical experiment: Glass reactor is one of the main tools for chemical experiment, which can be used for various chemical reactions, such as esterification, oxidation and reduction. In chemical experiments, glass reactors have the characteristics of strong corrosion resistance and easy cleaning.
• Medical field: Glass reactors can be used in pharmaceutical or chemical laboratories in the medical field as reaction containers or solution reservoirs. For example, it is used to prepare drugs or analyze biological samples.
• Food industry: Glass reactors can be used in food processing, for example, to prepare yogurt, jam, condiments and other foods.
• Petrochemical industry: Glass reactors are also widely used in petrochemical industry, for researching and preparing new materials and products. For example, preparing polymers, catalysts, etc.
• Academic research: Glass reactors can be used in academic research, for example, chemical physics experiments, optical experiments, materials science experiments, etc.

Special Reaction Case

Glass reactor can be used for alkaline reaction to some extent, but it is generally not recommended for biodiesel production. The main reasons are as follows:

Limitation of alkali resistance: The alkali resistance of glass reaction kettle is relatively weak. Because alkaline catalysts (such as sodium methanol solution) are often used for esterification and acidification in the production of biodiesel, these reactions involve alkaline conditions. However, glass is easy to be corroded under strong alkali conditions, which may lead to damage of the reaction kettle or pollution of products.

Temperature and pressure limitation: the production of biodiesel may need to be carried out under high temperature and high pressure, while the heat resistance and pressure resistance of glass reactor are limited. In the high temperature and high pressure environment, the glass reaction kettle is prone to rupture, causing potential safety hazards.

Requirements of reaction process: The production process of biodiesel usually takes a long time to react, while the mechanical strength of glass reaction kettle is relatively low, which may not be able to withstand long-term stirring and reaction operation.

In biodiesel production, materials with strong alkali resistance, high temperature and high pressure resistance are usually selected as reaction vessels, such as stainless steel reaction kettle or other special alloy materials. These materials have better corrosion resistance, high temperature and high pressure resistance and mechanical strength, which can better meet the production needs of biodiesel.