[JeppeHagh]

Hello there.
I have this piece of glassware that I do not know what is.
Here is a picture: http://postimg.org/image/cq2t3x9ah/
It is obviously some kind of condenser but I dont know how and when it is used.
There is a water jacket with an inlet and an outlet for the water. Other than that there is this big glass tube that enters the water jacket in one end, but instead of going out the other end, it turns around to become a narrow tube that coils down the bigger tube to exit through the side of the jacket in the same end as the bigger tube entered.
Can anyone please tell me something about this condenser (How is it used and for what?)
My only thought was that it could be a combination of a fractionating column (the big straight tube) and a condenser (the narrow coil). Is that what it is?

Best regards
Jeppe

[synthon]

My guess is that it's used to refrigerate (or heat I suppose) a flow of liquid/gas being passed through the center tube by the surrounding water jacket; a typical condenser wouldn't facilitate the cooling AND flow of the object to be cooled.

The small tubing coming in closest proximity to the water coils may serve to maximize the efficiency of the cooling.

Just a guess.

[JeppeHagh]

That is a good guess, not one that I had thought of.
Do you think however that it could be used in the way I first thought of? You have probably already guessed that I am not really a chemist. I am just a guy who has watched too many youtube videos and wants to do some hobby chemistry in my garage

[synthon]

The shape seems to suggest a condenser of some sort, but the connections to the spiral tubing in the center seem to suggest that tubing will be connected.  I don't think any sort of tubing would be ideal for purifications/condensing. I also don't think you'd want to cool the distillation column, only the condenser side.

[JeppeHagh]

Okay. Thanks for the explaination