ISchlenk: Portable Equipment for Hands-On Instruction in Air-/Moisture-Sensitive Syringe, Cannula, and Schlenk Techniques

Abstract

iSchlenk, a portable instructional cart with equipment for hands-on student experience in safe handling of air-sensitive, moisture-sensitive, toxic, pyrophoric, and/or radioactive chemical materials, is described. The cart, for use by ≤4 students, has compressed air and vacuum from a diaphragm vacuum pump supplied to 4 three-port Schlenk lines with double-oblique glass stopcocks. Air pressure is adjusted by a pressure-release mineral oil bubbler. The cart's drawers contain glassware and equipment (polypropylene and glass syringes, deflected-point needles, cannula, rubber septa, Schlenk flasks, Schlenk fritted funnels, pour tubes, gas-inlet adapters) for instruction in liquid transfer (syringe, cannula, pour tube) and basic Schlenk techniques. Water serves as the simulant for pyrophoric liquids, compressed air for inert gases, and fine sand for insolubles. The results of anonymous (coded by student) written assessments, before and after student use of iSchlenk, are presented. iSchlenk design criteria and construction, classroom/laboratory implementations in an undergraduate advanced inorganic chemistry laboratory course and in a graduate lecture course in organometallic chemistry, and an assessment instrument for undergraduate and graduate student mastery of safe Schlenk, cannula, and syringe techniques is discussed.