Rotary Evaporator
Rotary Evaporator - Related Videos
06:43
Rotary Evaporation to Remove Solvent
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2023
Source: Dr. Melanie Pribisko Yen and Grace Tang — California Institute of Technology Rotary evaporation is a technique most commonly used in organic chemistry to remove a solvent from a higher-boiling point compound of interest. The rotary evaporator, or "rotovap", was invented in 1950 by the chemist Lyman C. Craig. The primary use of a rotovap is to dry and purify samples for downstream applications. Its speed and ability to handle large volumes of solvent make rotary evaporation a preferred...
06:39
A High Performance Impedance-based Platform for Evaporation Rate Detection
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Cited by 1 •
2016
This paper presents an impedance-based apparatus for evaporation rate detection of solutions. It offers clear advantages over a conventional weight loss approach: a fast response, high-sensitivity detection, a small sample requirement, multiple sample measurements, and easy disassembly for cleaning and reuse purposes.
08:58
Seedless Growth of Bismuth Nanowire Array via Vacuum Thermal Evaporation
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Cited by 1 •
2015
A protocol for seedless and high yield growth of bismuth nanowire arrays through vacuum thermal evaporation technique is presented.
14:01
Making Record-efficiency SnS Solar Cells by Thermal Evaporation and Atomic Layer Deposition
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Cited by 30 •
2015
Tin sulfide (SnS) is a candidate material for Earth-abundant, non-toxic solar cells. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication procedure of the SnS solar cells employing atomic layer deposition, which yields 4.36% certified power conversion efficiency, and thermal evaporation which yields 3.88%.
11:24
Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates
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Cited by 6 •
2017
The uneven loss of medium from microtiter plates affects the reproducibility of uniform multicellular tumor spheroid formation. Improving culture conditions to reduce significant medium loss will improve the reproducibility of spheroid formation and the results of spheroid-based assays using the liquid-overlay technique.
FAQs
Vacuum lowers the solvent’s boiling point, so evaporation can occur at a lower bath temperature than atmospheric boiling would require. This reduces thermal exposure while maintaining efficient solvent removal. The effect is especially useful for concentrating nonvolatile compounds or handling samples whose composition could be affected by prolonged heating. Pressure control therefore influences both speed and sample protection.
Rotation improves mass transfer by spreading the liquid across the inner wall of the flask as a thin film. That larger exposed surface promotes contact between the liquid and the reduced-pressure environment, helping solvent vapor form and leave the flask more efficiently. Rotation therefore makes the evaporation surface more consistently available.
These variables jointly determine how quickly solvent evaporates and how gently the sample is treated. Excessive heating can increase thermal exposure, whereas insufficient pressure reduction may slow removal. Rotation affects the film available for evaporation. Adjusting the three together helps balance concentration rate, sample preservation, and reproducibility rather than optimizing one setting in isolation.
Uncontrolled bumping can interrupt smooth evaporation, disturb the sample, and make the concentration process less reproducible. Managing it is therefore not merely a convenience: it helps preserve the material being concentrated and supports consistent results. Careful control of operating conditions, particularly pressure and heating, reduces the risk that bumping will undermine the evaporation step.
Typically, the sample is placed in the rotating flask, the flask is brought into the heated bath, and reduced pressure is applied while rotation is maintained. Solvent vapor travels to the condenser, where it is collected for recovery. Bath temperature, pressure, and rotation are then controlled together to achieve concentration without unnecessary thermal exposure.
Chemists choose it when a reaction mixture or solution must be concentrated, purified, or transferred into a different solvent without relying on prolonged atmospheric boiling. Reduced pressure allows gentler removal, while the condenser supports solvent recovery. The method is therefore suited to workup, purification, and solvent exchange when preserving nonvolatile compounds and limiting heat exposure matter.
The condenser converts the vapor stream into a collected solvent fraction rather than allowing the removed solvent simply to escape. This enables solvent recovery and separates the volatile component from the concentrated, nonvolatile material remaining in the sample flask. In chemistry workflows, that separation supports reaction workup, purification, and solvent exchange.