iusedtobehappy
Experienced
- Dec 2, 2023
- 206
"There is one incredible simple, cheap and easy way to make nitrogen gas with near 99 percent purity if you don't need it compressed. I've used this method in my chemistry experiments when I needed just modest amounts of nitrogen or when I need to do reactions in the absence of reactive oxygen.
Simply buy handwarmers from Walmart or many other sources. Use a heavy duty, large resealable bag and fill it as best you can with regular, uncontaminated air. Drop the hand warmer in there and it will absorb almost all oxygen, leaving you with about 1 percent "all other gases" that are naturally in the atmosphere. Personally, I glue an airtight small rubber tube (a hose from aquarium bubblers, also found at Walmart or any pet store) then clamp it shut with a small but strong spring clamp (although other clamps will due). I've found the hand warmer can dry out before it loses its capacity to absorb O2, so I cut one end open, seal it with laundry clamps (just to keep the contents from spilling out, making a mess) and spray it LIGHTLY now and then with mist from a stray bottle. However, if your not worried about the carbon, iron powder, and table salt contained in these packets (all very harmless) you can cut the packet open and just dump it in the bottom of the bag, and spray as described above once in a while. You would be surprise how long they last and how many bags full of nitrogen you can get from just one hand warmer packet. If you're not worried about adding excess heat to your O2 purged experiment, just put the handwarmer in the bag containing the enclosed beaker. Otherwise, you can purge air out of a different bag, vessel by inserting the hose, and squeezing the nitrogen filled bag."
I am confused by his explanation, the clamps and misting, but I don't see other threads about this, though the link itself comes from another thread. Is this possible? If so, does anyone better understand what he's saying to do?
chemistry.stackexchange.com
Simply buy handwarmers from Walmart or many other sources. Use a heavy duty, large resealable bag and fill it as best you can with regular, uncontaminated air. Drop the hand warmer in there and it will absorb almost all oxygen, leaving you with about 1 percent "all other gases" that are naturally in the atmosphere. Personally, I glue an airtight small rubber tube (a hose from aquarium bubblers, also found at Walmart or any pet store) then clamp it shut with a small but strong spring clamp (although other clamps will due). I've found the hand warmer can dry out before it loses its capacity to absorb O2, so I cut one end open, seal it with laundry clamps (just to keep the contents from spilling out, making a mess) and spray it LIGHTLY now and then with mist from a stray bottle. However, if your not worried about the carbon, iron powder, and table salt contained in these packets (all very harmless) you can cut the packet open and just dump it in the bottom of the bag, and spray as described above once in a while. You would be surprise how long they last and how many bags full of nitrogen you can get from just one hand warmer packet. If you're not worried about adding excess heat to your O2 purged experiment, just put the handwarmer in the bag containing the enclosed beaker. Otherwise, you can purge air out of a different bag, vessel by inserting the hose, and squeezing the nitrogen filled bag."
I am confused by his explanation, the clamps and misting, but I don't see other threads about this, though the link itself comes from another thread. Is this possible? If so, does anyone better understand what he's saying to do?
Is there a simple and inexpensive way to generate nitrogen gas?
It's fairly easy to generate a significant yield of hydrogen gas simply by reacting zinc metal with $\ce{HCl}$ or aluminum with $\ce{NaOH}$ solution. But is there a simple and inexpensive chemical
