Environmental Express MicroBloc - Manual (Page 7)

800.745.8218 / 843.576.1147 / www.environmentalexpress.com Environmental Express • 5
StirBase: Operation and Instruction Manual Getting Started
Unpacking and Setup
I. Unpack the heating unit and place it in a chemical fume hood with the temperature controller facing outward.
2. Unpack 10 glassware sets. The glassware is packed 5 sets per box. The glassware should be cleaned according to the
protocol and assembled in the MicroBlock unit. If the chemistry being done requires the use of a frit, refer to page
12, paragraph 7.17 for frit cleaning.
3. Unpack the bags of tubing which were packed with the heating unit.
4. Review the diagrams. Familiarize yourself with parts, names, and locations of the parts for the chemistry you are doing.
5. Save original packaging material in a dry area to be used if item needs to be returned for service. Refer to warranty
policy on page 1.
6. Connect tubing to the MicroBlock unit as follows:
A. Connect a 5-foot reinforced tube to the hose barb on the outlet water manifold (right side, away from flowmeter). Place
the other end into a suitable drain.
B. Connect the other 5-foot reinforced tube to the lower flowmeter hose barb and the other end to a suitable needle valve
cold water source. This needle valve is used to control the flow of water and is not supplied with the MicroBlock.
C. If the chemistry is for Cyanide, connect the 5-foot vacuum tube to the white hose barb located on the left side of the
unit (behind the vacuum knobs). Connect the other end to an excess gas trap (scrubber flask filled with NaOH solution).
Connect gas trap to your vacuum source.
Note: The excess gas trap and vacuum source are not supplied with the MicroBlock.
7. Assemble the glassware into the MicroBlock in the following manner (reference Figures 2 - 5)
Note: Names used here are for the Cyanide design of glassware.
A. Place a Reaction/Absorption Flask into the left-most heat block position. This is the Reaction Flask.
B. Place the Distillation Head into the Reaction Flask.
C. Place the Cold Finger into the joint at the top of the Distillation Head.
D. Place a Reaction/ Absorption Flask into the left-most front position. This is the Absorption Flask.
E. Place the Absorption Impinger into the Absorption Flask.
F. Repeat steps A through E for the remaining glassware, working from left to right.
G. To remove the glassware, reverse the above procedure.
8. Connect tubing to the glassware and MicroBlock as follows:
Note: 20 Manifold-to-Cold Finger tubes are supplied at the same lengths. These tubes are long enough to remove the
Cold Finger from the Distillation Head without disconnecting the Quick Disconnect Fitting. You may find them long
if you are going to use the Quick Disconnect Fitting to remove the Cold Finger, if so the tubing can be easily cut.
A. The Cold Finger tubing lines are the lines having a quick disconnect fitting attached. Connect one end of a line
to
the upper barb on the Cold Finger. Insert the Quick Disconnect Fitting into the forward adapter on the water manifold
(water inlet), squeezing the metal tab first. Push in until the tab clicks out. Repeat the process for the other nine Lower
Cold Finger Condensers.
B. Repeat step A using the other 10 tubing lines going to the lower Cold Finger barb and the back adapter on the water
manifold (water drain).
C. The Distillation Head-to-Absorption Impinger tubing bag contains ten lengths with a slip connector in the middle.
Connect one open end to the barb at the top of the Distillation Head, and the other end to the barb on the Absorption
Impinger .
D. The Absorption Impinger-to-Vacuum tubing bag contains ten lengths, each with a slip connector near one end. Connect
the longer tube to the side barb on the Absorption Impinger, and the shorter tube to the vacuum barb on the MicroBlock
unit.
9. Plug the power cord into an outlet rated for 115 volts, 15 amps. If the Red Rocker Switch glows, turn it off.