27
General Procedure
12. For each collector tube, hold the tube horizontally and rinse its
walls with the distillate in order to homogenize it. Slowly roll the
distillate around in the tube to gather all droplets clinging to the
tube walls into the bulk of the distillate. Holding the tube up to
the light aids in seeing the condensate inside the tube. Then,
slowly return the collector tube to an upright position so that the
D end is up (Figure 8). Stubborn drops will often fall into the M
end when the tube is flicked with a finger.
13. With the
D end still up, break the collector tube in half by pulling
the
D end hard towards the user to break it, then twisting and
tearing off the
D end (Figure 9). Discard the D end (Figure 10).
Prevent lost droplets by holding the
M end on a firm surface
and cracking off the
D end.
Figure 7 Placing the Collector Tube in the Rack
Figure 8 Rinsing the Collector Tube Walls