Bare Essentials for the Synthetic Bench (One Chemist)

(assuming an appropriate complement of standard Hardware and Glassware )

Not Voodoo Home / For First Time Researchers / Comments?

 

For Reaction Setup

Inert Gas Line or Balloon
Septa
Stir Bars
Test Tubes (sometimes good for small reactions)
Small Vials (for TLC samples of starting materials)
Reflux Condenser

Syringes (disposable or glass or airtight)
Needles (short and long)
Clamp
Cork Ring
Disposable Gloves
Spatulae for weighing reagents
A Calculator

 

For Reaction Monitoring

TLC plates
TLC chamber
Capillary Pipettes for TLC

Pencil (for writing on TLC plates)
Vials (for mini-workups)
High vacuum chamber for TLC plates

Small (100 mL) bottles of common TLC solvent mixtures


For Work-up

Separatory Funnel
Metal Ring (to hold separatory funnel)
Bottles (1 L) of aqueous solutions
Saturated sodium bicarbonate
Saturated sodium chloride
Water
Other acidic and basic solutions as needed

Magnesium Sulfate (for drying ether or ethyl acetate)
Sodium Sulfate (for drying dichloromethane) Filtration apparatus (usually w/ aspirator vacuum line)
Sharpie Pen (for marking flasks or tubes)
Standard Funnel
Pipettes
Pipette Bulbs

Bottles (500 mL) of solvents   (ether, hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane)

 

For Chromatography

Air Line
Ring or Clamps (to hold column)
Cotton
Small Container of Sand

Container of Silica Gel (for small columns)
Standard Funnel
Test Tube Rack
Suction Apparatus (for fraction consolidation)

Small Vial containing sample of crude reaction mixture

 

For Analysis

NMR tubes
NMR solvents ; at least CDCl 3 (which should be neutralized with K 2 CO 3 )

 

For Cleanup

Dishwashing Gloves
Acetone Wash Bottle

Dish Soap
Wire Brushes