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General Spectroscopy - Cleaning quartzware used to digest organics

 
What is the best way to clean quartz flasks that have been used to digest organic compounds? Currently, our glassware is typically soaked for about 24 hours in 25% v/v nitric acid in a plastic container, then rinsed in distilled water.
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When our quartz has been exposed to organic compounds, including silicone oils/grease, we clean it by immersing it in a freshly prepared solution of 1:1 sulfuric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide. The solution is of course very HOT and exposure to the skin will cause severe burns, so extreme caution is necessary. We will allow the solution containing the quartz to sit overnight in a hood. Another way to rid the quartz of organics that are not organometallic in nature is to heat it in a muffle furnace at 550 °C overnight. Nitric acid will attack organics when concentrated and heated under pressure, but it will not convert them to CO2 and water.
Posted: 09/04/18 21:39:14

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