The basic data is listed in our Tech Support Section under raw glass data.

See the O-Ring Reference Chart attached to this question.

 Yes. See the table on our O-Ring Compatibility chart, which is attached to this FAQ. Most Ace products come with FETFE O-rings as standard.

General Information on Bearings & Stirring Shafts

Photochemistry Technical Information

 A Guide to Assembling Reactor System: Bench Scale

Lay out all pieces to compare with packing list. Contact Ace Glass immediately if something is missing. For optimum assembly, follow the instructions in this order.

  A Guide to Assembling Reactor System: Large Scale

Lay out all pieces to compare with packing list. Contact Ace Glass immediately if something is missing. For optimum assembly, we recommend having at least two people, following the instructions in this order.

Chromic Acid or Chromerge

A great cleaner and also removes organic residues. Use gloves and well ventilate the area when using chromic acid as it is a carcinogen and very corrosive. Make sure metal clamps or flanges are removed.  It is best to fill the vessel or soak the item in the solution for a short time in a plastic tub so that you can contain the wash material, then rinse immediately several times before proceeding to a detergent wash. Make sure the residual chromic acid is diluted after use and disposed of properly and according to your local or company regulations.

Occasionally stronger acid washes are necessary for certain types of precipitates or residues. It is best to keep these very dilute and be used in an area where there is good ventilation and make sure you contain the residual acid and dissolved material for proper disposal. This method should only be used when absolutely necessary. Disposal of seriously stained glass maybe a less troublesome and less expensive course of action than using strong acid washes.

One other caution is that strong acid or Chromerge type washes may damage the graduation markings.

Removal of Grease

Grease is best removed by boiling the glass in a weak solution of sodium carbonate. Acetone or any other organic solvent can be used also, followed by several water and DI water rinses.

Other stains

For permanganate stains use a mixture of equal 3% sulfuric acid and 3% hydrogen peroxide.

For Iron stains use a solution containing one part hydrochloric acid and one part water.

For bacteriological contamination glassware should be soaked in a disinfectant solution and then steam autoclaved then followed by a suitable washing and rinsing.

Caution: Make sure you refer to MSDS sheets for the cleaning solutions and the materials that were in the glassware to insure that there won’t be any adverse reactions from the combination of the materials.

Ultrasonic Cleaners

Ultrasonics is a good method of cleaning glassware. Ultrasonic cleaners that are heated will be the best and generally with a mild detergent they will clean most residues off of glassware. We typically clean all glass in our factory both during and after the fabrication process in heated ultrasonic cleaners.

Rinsing

Glassware should always have a water rinse after any cleaning procedure followed by a DI rinse. It is best to give smaller pieces such as test tubes a soaking rinse followed by a DI soaking rinse. Glass pipettes are best soaked in a suitable pipette washer and washed and given both a water rinse and DI soaking rinse.

Drying

Oven drying at 100° C is best for all glassware. If not convenient, rack drying will work.

Steam Autoclaving or Sterilizing

Proper protocol for steam autoclaving of borosilicate glassware is 15-20 minutes at 100-120° C. Always leave closures off or loose during autoclaving.

Inspection after cleaning

Always inspect all glassware before steam autoclaving for cracks, chips or damage. The autoclave procedure will cause glassware to break if already damaged.

Remember – All labware is generally borosilicate glass, especially if it’s made in the USA. The suggestions herein refer to borosilicate labware only. Bottles are generally NOT borosilicate glass and are made from soda lime or soft glass. Bottles do not have the temperature range or autoclave range of borosilicate glass. Please refer to cleaning procedures for these containers from the manufacturer. Do not mix bottles and labware in the same washes, heat drying and especially autoclaving procedures.

There are many differences between borosilicate glass and quartz, either pure- or synthetic-fused silica types. The main differences are the percentage of compounds and the percentage of silica or SiO2 in the glass. Borosilicate is usually in the 80% range, while quartz is over 99%. Quartz is also capable of handling much higher temperatures up to 1,100° C. Quartz is typically used for high temperature applications, or where optical quality or dielectric properties are critical. Impurities in borosilicate glass are measured in percent; impurities in quartz are measured in PPM.

Ace Glass products are made from 33 expansion borosilicate glass. Ace uses tubing and rod from Pyrex or Simax , as well as Schott Duran glass.

The real pressure ratings depend on the wall thickness of the piece and the temperature as well. Most standard lab glass products, at room temperature, can take pressure up to 25-30 PSI. Also, be sure there are no scratches in the glass, as they will weaken the piece, which could cause it to break under pressure. Some glass vessels have very little or NO pressure rating. Most flasks or beakers are 5-15 psi maximum. Contact us 1-800-223-4524 or at support@aceglass for exact information regarding your application. You can also refer to the nomogram in the Technical Data Tables section of this support module of our website.

Yes. Send a drawing or sketch to design@aceglass.com with your requirements. Or fill out the form in the Custom/OEM section and e-mail or fax your request into us. We will be happy to quote you.

Yes, absolutely! Send your request to design@aceglass.com with a sketch and number/size and placement of the joints. We will be happy to quote you.

The largest fritted disc O.D. is 150mm. The highest porosity is 174 microns. The thickest disc would be in the 12-15mm range. We can also make custom sizes. See pore sizes and cross reference on page 291 of our General Labware Catalog.