[nimbus8]

Hey everyone, i had been using vinyl tubing for my distillation condenser and noticed a slime when i was cleaning it out. At first i thought the slime was a bacteria so i used vinegar to clean it out. Turns out the slime was plasticizers, and i have no idea if it reacted with the vinegar to form a completely new compound.

Is there any way i could clean my glassware to remove the plasticizers and potentially the new compound. I was thinking about using several compounds like water and soap with a wide spectrum of polarity in order to guarentee that i removed everything.
Like using a strong nonpolar, weak nonpolar, weak polar and strong polar. Would using all of these guarentee removal of every unknown compound that might be in my glassware?

[Arkcon]

Generally, for small quantities in an organic laboratory, all glass labware is the best choice.  If you must use plastic tubing, its best to select the type and grade compatible with your solvents and products.  I'd select the proper stuff and start over.

[nimbus8]

Thanks for the response. This is in my home laboratory. And the only liquid running through the tubing was water(it was plugged into the condenser cooling jacket). Because its my home equipment i need to figure out how to fix it.

[curiouscat]

Thanks for the response. This is in my home laboratory. And the only liquid running through the tubing was water(it was plugged into the condenser cooling jacket). Because its my home equipment i need to figure out how to fix it.

I don't know what chemicals you have access to but chromic acid cleaning solution or one of the many similar / stronger concoctions might work. Be warned, they are all nasty and dangerous if mishandled!!  Rather throw away a condenser than burn your eye.

More details here:

http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/etc/medialib/docs/Aldrich/Bulletin/al_techbull_al228.Par.0001.File.tmp/al_techbull_al228.pdf

[nimbus8]

So basically what your saying is that instead of trying to dissolve the unknown compounds i should just completely detroy them with an oxidative acid? Will this completely guarantee that every compound possible is removed and are there any less dangerous alternatives?

Some of the things i use my distillation set for are intended for consumption so i try to stay away from toxic compounds.

[curiouscat]

Try acetone or a similar solvent first. Depends what you can lay your hands on.

[nimbus8]

Well heres the thing, i dont know exactly what compounds are in the slime. The slime seems to have come off but i cant know if there is still contamination left over.

Is there like a universal cleaning method guarenteed to destroy and remove any contaminates? I am looking into hydrogen peroxide mixed with some acidic reduction agent.

[Yggdrasil]

How do you know the slime was plasticizers and not bacteria as was your initial guess?

If the slime was just in the condenser water-cooling jacket, why do you need to make sure it is free of any contamination?

[nimbus8]

Because i soaked the condenser with my other glassware thus the contamination might have spread. I am very meticulous. i figured out it was plasticizers because after i washed it with vindegar for a few days if formed sheets on the surface that were obviousely plastic like.

Wont letting it soak in a strong oxidizing agent remove all chemicals that were in the glassware?

[Arkcon]

If you have to clean the glassware, then yes, some oxidizing reagent should help.  Since you're home, you can even use a 10% household bleach solution.  Through rinsing will be important, to get out all oxidizer, soap (which you will need to help clean anything).  You might want, after several tap water rinses and distilled water rinses, to rinse a couple of times with acetone.

You're new to chemistry, it seems, and you're a little stuck in the "gee-whiz" phase of Citizen Chemistry.  Let me try to say what's on everybody's mind -- you didn't create a brand new, fantastic, space age compound from vinyl tubing, it's platicizers, water, bacteria and household vinegar.  I'm finding it tedious to hear everyone keep hinting at that when you offer new opinions regarding this materials physical structure, and source.  It's likely a sloughed off layer of plastic or a bacterial biofilm, everyone who's left their condenser going has seen this, and their only response was to ignore it, or go get some fresh tubing.

[nimbus8]

Alright thank you for your response. I guess that leads me to this point, will bleach completely remove all plasticizers, and if so how. I dont quite understand how an oxidation reaction will help clean this. Does it cause the compounds to decompose or something?

And yes as you said i am very new to this, and i am aware that the potential compound isnt going to be something super complex but i do need to be sure of its and the plasticizer removal.

[nimbus8]

Im actually considering doing an ammonia overnight base bath followed by a vinegar soaking to stabilize the glassware, is vinegar a viable replacement for hcl?