Chemical/Laboratory Techniques: Reflux setup

To increase the rate of reactivity, reactions are often performed at elevated temperatures. However, simple organic compounds and solvents often have a low boiling point. As such, most organic chemicals are quite volatile, and if heated they will evaporate and be lost. The solution to this problem is to heat the reaction mixture under reflux. Reflux involves heating the chemical reaction for a specific amount of time, while continually cooling the vapour that is produced back into its liquid form. A condenser is used for cooling the vapour. The setup demonstrated in this video can be extended upon with various other pieces of glassware to suit the needs of your reaction.

This video was created by N.N.H.M. Eisink, PhD, and T.R. Canrinus, PhD of the Faculty of Engineering and Science of the University of Groningen as an Open Educational Resource (OER)

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