Rotary Evaporator, it’s Working, it’s Parts and Applications:

Definition:

“A rotary evaporator is a device used in chemical laboratories for the efficient and gentle removal of solvents
from samples by evaporation.”

•Rotary evaporators are also used in molecular cooking for the preparation of distillates and extracts.

Invented by

A simple rotary evaporator system was invented by Lyman C. Craig.

Commercialized by

It was first commercialized by the Swiss company in 1957. Walter Buchi developed a world first commercial
rotary evaporator, which separates substances with different boiling points, and greatly simplifies work in
research laboratories.

In Researches:

In research the most common form is the 1L bench-top unit, whereas large scale (e.g., 20L-50L) versions are used
in pilot plants in commercial chemical operations.

Principle of Rotary Evaporator

The rotary evaporator working principle is that the boiling point of liquids lowers on decreasing their pressure.
This allows the solvent to vaporize at lower temperatures than when boiled in a normal atmosphere.Choosing a
vacuum pump for rotavap will guarantee an improved evaporation efficiency.
 ▪ Working
▪ Rotary evaporation is mostly considered when separating low boiling solvents such as ethyl acetate or n-
hexane from compounds that are solid at room temperatures. When carefully monitored, one can
remove a solvent from a sample with a liquid compound. Solvents with much higher boiling points such
as water can also be evaporated if the instrument can withstand very low pressures.

Parts of Rotary Evaporator

➢ The condenser condenses the gas into a liquid by chilling and cooling the vapor. To achieve these low
temperatures a number of things can be used including liquid nitrogen, cold water, and dry ice. The
evaporation vessel is constantly rotating so as to increase the evaporation surface area per unit time. The
centrifugal force produced as a result of the rotation keeps the liquid stuck to the inside of the vessel
providing a large surface area and accelerating the evaporation process.

➢ There is a 3-way piston between the pressure reducing pump and the condenser tube. When the
operating system is connected with the pressure, the evaporation flask is removed to obtain the residue

Diagram

The Main Parts of A Rotary Evaporator and

1. Rotary motor.

A rotary evaporator consists of an electric-powered motor that plays an important

This is the system responsible for creating a vacuum within the airtight set-up,
thereby reducing the pressure within the system. The vacuum source can be
simply a water aspirator consisting of a water immersed trap, or a complex
mechanical vacuum pump consisting of a refrigerated trap.

3. Glass tube.

The glass tube has two functions, the first is to protect and support the sample
during rotation while the second is to help in the creation of a vacuum.

4. Heating bath.

The mainly used heating bath is a hot water bath. The function of the heating pot is
to heat the sample and help in temperature regulation.

5. Condenser.

It is mainly found in a double snake shape and the function is to condensate the
evaporated sample as well as enhance convenient sample collection.

6 Receiving flask.

The function of the collecting flask is to receive the distilled sample.

The glassware used in the condenser and the vapor stream is dependent on the
evaporation goals and the mixture propensities, it can be simple or
complex. Modern rotary evaporators also consist of a digitalized system with digital
display for temperature and rotation speed, vapor temperature sensor, and digital
vacuum .

The Basic Applications of A Rotary Evaporator

❖ Purify and Separate A Reaction Product

The rotary evaporator is primarily used for the continuous distillation of different
volatile solvents that are placed under lowered pressure conditions. More
specifically, the concentration associated with the extract, along with the
distillation of a receiving liquid linked with chromatographic separation, is able to
purify and separate a reaction product
 ❖ Educational Use

The applications of the rotary evaporator are mainly focused on scientific research
along with the production processes of chemical, biological, pharmaceutical
products, along with other industries. The functions of a rotary evaporator have to
do with evaporation, crystallization, concentration, drying, solvent recovery, and
separation.

Educational rotary evaporators are also widely used for teaching experiments in
laboratories. During these experiments, when an evaporation bottle is used on a
table, it does not roll or break easily, which helps to reduce the expenses relating to
school experiments.

❖ Applications of Rotary Evaporator in Industry.

The main application industries linked with rotary evaporators are biological,
chemical engineering, and medical products relating to the production and
different types of scientific research. Crystallization, evaporation, separation,
solvent recovery processes, and drying are all necessary for all the industries that
handle and process reaction solvents.

Laboratories are other areas where industrial rotary evaporators play an

❖ In Molecular Cooking

In More recent years, the rotary evaporator applications are now used within the
cooking industry for molecular cooking. Molecular gastronomy or molecular
cooking is a type of science that applies chemical and physical principles to the
world of cooking. Molecular cooking is better known as an “innovative cooking
style”, that combines psychological cooking skills with advanced technology.
This style of cooking uses rotary evaporators that non-heat evaporate liquids, that
help to retain the volatile aromatics in foods that are usually lost through the
process of heating. It has also been described as the ideal combination of
experimental instruments and modern culinary.

❖ In Chemical Industries

But most commonly, the rotary evaporators are used in the chemistry-related
environments for the purpose of gentle, yet extremely efficient removal of one or
more solvents from a sample through the process of evaporation under a vacuum.

These chemical evaporators are made up of heating baths that come with
rotating flasks. The liquid that is placed into the heating bath will distribute in a
thin layer of film over the surfaces of the hot flask walls, which helps the liquid to
evaporate easily. The rate of evaporation will be regulated by the temperature of
the heating bath, the flask size, along with the distillation pressure. Other
supporting factors include how fast the evaporation flask is rotating, and the
coolant temperatures. In general, the principles of vacuum distillation are rotary
distillation.