Kaliapparat

A kaliapparat

A kaliapparat is a laboratory device invented in 1831 by Justus von Liebig (1803–1873) for the analysis of carbon in organic compounds.^[1] The device, made of glass, consists of a series of five bulbs connected and arranged in a triangular shape.

To determine the carbon in an organic compound with a kaliapparat, the substance is first burned, converting any carbon present into carbon dioxide (CO₂). The vaporous products are passed through the kaliapparat, which is filled with potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. The potassium hydroxide reacts with the CO₂ to make potassium carbonate. The reaction, ignoring ionic dissociation, can be written as follows: 2 KOH + CO₂ → K₂CO₃ + H₂O.

Subtracting the mass of the kaliapparat before the combustion from that found after the combustion gives the amount of CO₂ absorbed. From the mass of CO₂ thus found, standard stoichiometric calculations then give the mass of carbon in the original sample.

A stylized symbol of a kaliapparat is used in the American Chemical Society logo, originally designed in the early 20th century by Tiffany's Jewelers.^[2]

References

1. Liebig, Justus von (1831). "Ueber einen neuen Apparat zur Analyse organicher Korper, und die Zusammensetzung einiger organischen Substanzen". Annalen der Physik 21: 1–47. doi:10.1002/andp.18310970102.
2. Everts, Sarah (7 September 2015). "A Most Important Artifact". Chemical & Engineering News 93 (35). pp. 46–47.

Further reading

• Rocke, Alan J. (2001). Nationalizing Science. MIT Press. See especially pages 36 – 41 and 58 – 66.

External links

• McBride, J. M. (2001). "The "Kaliapparat", Liebig's Five-Bulb Apparatus". Retrieved 2016-02-05.
• "The Liebig Museum". Retrieved 2009-06-29.
• "American Chemical Society". Retrieved 2009-06-29. – The American Chemical Society's logo contains a kaliapparat.