I work part time as a lab-tech/assistant to one of my professors at university.

Periodically, the lab(s) will clean out the storages rooms or sell off excess or unused equipment.

Yesterday my professor offered me first refusal for the purchase of an orbital shaker with the heat mantle integrated into the shaker surface.

She, and other staff, are aware of my hobbies, perfume distallation, cultivating various bacteria for use in microbiology classes (another to raise $), and one or 2 others that could benefit from the use of such a piece of equipment.

The equipment itself is less than 3 yrs old, and has seen limited usage. The price is very reasonable, $100.00, compared to the $350-$550 new from Sargent-Welch)

I thought the shaker might find be useful in some of the processes that I found listed on Rhodium.ws/chemistry. Namely during some of the reactions I found listed there, as well as the extraction processes.

I need to review them, but I seem to recall they all emphasized the need to continually stir the mixture, and to maintain the heat level at a "gentle boil just barely at boiling point". Again I apologize if I misquote, I will review and refine this post if need be.

Anyways my question is this, would an orbital shaker-w/ integrated heat mantle, be of any use or would a magnetic stirrer be more useful?

I researched what I was able to find on TOTSE, Rhodium.ws, erowik, lycaeum, and other sites. I found limited information, and after once again checking the posts here and failing to find any more info, I decided to make this posting.

I have made some other posts offering some basic info, (such as drug properties, onset and duration times, and measurements), but this is my first post asking for info. I am a bit apprehensive asking, as I've detected some distaste for "n00b"'s and their questions in some of the replies to posts.

Anyways, if anyone has any info or better can point me to info so I can find it myself, I would appreciate it.

Thanks



-Rabbit

$100?! Buy that bastard my man!! Thereis an infinite amount of utility to be found there considering the heating mantle is like you described; integrated onto the shaker-surface. <A HREF="http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/fingers/fing32.gif">http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/fingers/fing32.gif" width="90" height="90 (http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/fingers/fing32.gif" width="90" height="90)</A> Yes sir. Much utility to be had for a hundred bones.

Jam.

Yes,

100$ cash, they do this sort of thing about every other year, something to do with their budget for new equipment and supplies.

The labs here are very well equipped,(major research university in the southwestern US)

It's made by Corning, so it should be a quality product. I have purchased alot of different equipment from the school since I was an undergrad student, so I have a history of purchasing odd or specialized equipment or glassware without undue attention,academia is a good thing. (when I first bought media for cell and bacteria culture was another story)

I figured the shaker might come in handy during the extraction processes described such as the "turp", and "e-gull" or any of them actually. It has the attachments for both flat and round bottom flasks.

It's a low temp model intended for cell or micro-culture but is capable of temps of 150 C. So it should be more than capable of providing a heat source for extraction (at least from what I have read so far, if I am in error let me know).

I just contacted my prof, and she is putting it away until tomorrow afternoon. (Saturday I know, but I have to culture 75 agar plates with P.klebs, S.aureus, and 4 of MRSA for 2nd semester micro-students coming in on monday..oh well the price I pay for cheap lab equipment)

Thank you for the feed back I much appreciate it.

-Rabbit

grab the mag/stirrer as well,,,

look around,,grab a sub/orbital shaker if they have one