Home >
Community >
How can I clean solid sulfur and its oxides from test tube?
Upvote
25
Downvote
+ Equipment
+ Cleaning
Posted by
Kevin Kolbe
How can I clean solid sulfur and its oxides from test tube?
Since you stated:
I'm not a chemist, so I don't have any strange chemicals at home.
you will neither have facilities for their proper storage and waste management.
Consequently, the only reasonable solution is: Get some new test tubes (about 0.20 Euro for a 160 x 16 mm tube), but don't risk your own health or pollute the environment by messing around with carcenogenic ($\ce{CrO3}$ in $\ce{H2SO4}$) or neurotoxic ($\ce{CS2}$) agents.
I'm not a chemist, so I don't have any strange chemicals at home.
you will neither have facilities for their proper storage and waste management.
Consequently, the only reasonable solution is: Get some new test tubes (about 0.20 Euro for a 160 x 16 mm tube), but don't risk your own health or pollute the environment by messing around with carcenogenic ($\ce{CrO3}$ in $\ce{H2SO4}$) or neurotoxic ($\ce{CS2}$) agents.
If you were a chemist, and had the facilities and chemicals: Still dump that test tube.More
Upvote
VOTE
Downvote
There are a couple of ways to do it depending on what chemicals are available to you. Since sulfur melts around $115~\mathrm{^\circ C}$, you might first melt it and let as much liquid drip out of the test tube as possible in order to make the following step easier.
Perhaps the most straightforward method involves toluene or xylene
which you can probably purchase at a hardware store. Put some
toluene or xylene in the test tube and heat it up (note: be careful,
toluene and xylene are flammable), the sulfur should slowly dissolve.
Pour the waste liquid out while hot. Repeat the process if
necessary. If you can find both toluene and xylene, pick the xylene
because it has a higher boiling point - it can get hotter and
dissolve the sulfur better.
Chromic acid (sulfuric acid and potassium dichromate) will remove sulfur. Pour the chromic acid into the test tube and let it sit for a couple of days, then pour it out, and with the help of a spatula, you should be able to remove the sulfur as a solid chunk.
Carbon disulfide dissolves sulfur, but $\ce{CS_2}$ is toxic and extremely flammable
There are a couple of ways to do it depending on what chemicals are available to you. Since sulfur melts around $115~\mathrm{^\circ C}$, you might first melt it and let as much liquid drip out of the test tube as possible in order to make the following step easier.
Perhaps the most straightforward method involves toluene or xylenewhich you can probably purchase at a hardware store. Put sometoluene or xylene in the test tube and heat it up (note: be careful,toluene and xylene are flammable), the sulfur should slowly dissolve.Pour the waste liquid out while hot. Repeat the process ifnecessary. If you can find both toluene and xylene, pick the xylenebecause it has a higher boiling point - it can get hotter anddissolve the sulfur better.
Chromic acid (sulfuric acid and potassium dichromate) will remove sulfur. Pour the chromic acid into the test tube and let it sit for a couple of days, then pour it out, and with the help of a spatula, you should be able to remove the sulfur as a solid chunk.
Carbon disulfide dissolves sulfur, but $\ce{CS_2}$ is toxic and extremely flammable
I wouldnt heat toluene, xylene or carbon disulfide over a open flame. // Chromic acid is a common cleaning solution in a chem lab, but it is really nasty since it oxidizes "most" things. Not really something for a typical home lab in my mind.More
Upvote
VOTE
Downvote
I once had this problem in the lab. I put some NaOH (I guess it can be found in some bleaches or cleaning supplies for declogging pipes) and water in it. It warms in the process, but it's not a problem. After an hour or so, and after bit of scratching (watch out, the brush might decompose in such basic solution), the sulfur was gone.
I once had this problem in the lab. I put some NaOH (I guess it can be found in some bleaches or cleaning supplies for declogging pipes) and water in it. It warms in the process, but it's not a problem. After an hour or so, and after bit of scratching (watch out, the brush might decompose in such basic solution), the sulfur was gone.
About the sodium hydroxide (NaOH) option: Ive had sulfur residue attached to my condenser. Letting the glassware bathe in high concentration NaOH, then washing it of with 10% hydrochloric acid (HCl) only partly removed the sulfur. It was unfortunately still detectable, by smell, when doing a simple water distillation.More
And I am not entirely sure the glass is immune from bathing in such concentrated sodium hydroxide, either.More
Upvote
VOTE
Downvote
Hot sodium percarbonate solution can mildly oxidise some sulphur to SO2. It's safe and non toxic. Strong hot hydrogen peroxide will aslo oxidise some to H2SO4. And if its a test tube burning it off with a bunsen burner or buying a new test tube is probably the most cost effective choice. I have cleaned a sulphur dirty sinter using percarbonate then nitric acid.
Hot sodium percarbonate solution can mildly oxidise some sulphur to SO2. It's safe and non toxic. Strong hot hydrogen peroxide will aslo oxidise some to H2SO4. And if its a test tube burning it off with a bunsen burner or buying a new test tube is probably the most cost effective choice. I have cleaned a sulphur dirty sinter using percarbonate then nitric acid.
Since you stated:
you will neither have facilities for their proper storage and waste management.
Consequently, the only reasonable solution is: Get some new test tubes (about 0.20 Euro for a 160 x 16 mm tube), but don't risk your own health or pollute the environment by messing around with carcenogenic ($\ce{CrO3}$ in $\ce{H2SO4}$) or neurotoxic ($\ce{CS2}$) agents.
Since you stated:
you will neither have facilities for their proper storage and waste management.
Consequently, the only reasonable solution is: Get some new test tubes (about 0.20 Euro for a 160 x 16 mm tube), but don't risk your own health or pollute the environment by messing around with carcenogenic ($\ce{CrO3}$ in $\ce{H2SO4}$) or neurotoxic ($\ce{CS2}$) agents.
More
VOTE
VOTE
There are a couple of ways to do it depending on what chemicals are available to you. Since sulfur melts around $115~\mathrm{^\circ C}$, you might first melt it and let as much liquid drip out of the test tube as possible in order to make the following step easier.
There are a couple of ways to do it depending on what chemicals are available to you. Since sulfur melts around $115~\mathrm{^\circ C}$, you might first melt it and let as much liquid drip out of the test tube as possible in order to make the following step easier.
More
VOTE
VOTE
VOTE
VOTE
VOTE
I once had this problem in the lab. I put some NaOH (I guess it can be found in some bleaches or cleaning supplies for declogging pipes) and water in it. It warms in the process, but it's not a problem. After an hour or so, and after bit of scratching (watch out, the brush might decompose in such basic solution), the sulfur was gone.
I once had this problem in the lab. I put some NaOH (I guess it can be found in some bleaches or cleaning supplies for declogging pipes) and water in it. It warms in the process, but it's not a problem. After an hour or so, and after bit of scratching (watch out, the brush might decompose in such basic solution), the sulfur was gone.
More
VOTE
VOTE
VOTE
Hot sodium percarbonate solution can mildly oxidise some sulphur to SO2. It's safe and non toxic. Strong hot hydrogen peroxide will aslo oxidise some to H2SO4. And if its a test tube burning it off with a bunsen burner or buying a new test tube is probably the most cost effective choice. I have cleaned a sulphur dirty sinter using percarbonate then nitric acid.
Hot sodium percarbonate solution can mildly oxidise some sulphur to SO2. It's safe and non toxic. Strong hot hydrogen peroxide will aslo oxidise some to H2SO4. And if its a test tube burning it off with a bunsen burner or buying a new test tube is probably the most cost effective choice. I have cleaned a sulphur dirty sinter using percarbonate then nitric acid.
More
VOTE