Soxhlet extractor facts for kids
1: Stirrer 2: Still pot 3: Distillation path 4: Thimble 5: Solid 6: Siphon top 7: Siphon exit 8: Expansion adapter 9: Condensor 10: Cooling water in 11: Cooling water out
A Soxhlet extractor is a special piece of laboratory equipment made of glass. It was invented by Franz von Soxhlet in 1879. This device helps scientists take out (or "extract") a substance from a solid material.
It has three main parts: a flask (like a bottle), an extraction chamber where the solid goes, and a condenser at the top. It's used for something called "solid-liquid extraction." This means it helps separate a substance that's mixed in a solid by using a liquid.
The process works like a cycle. A liquid called a "solvent" is heated in the flask until it boils. The vapor (steam) from the boiling solvent travels up a tube and then cools down in the condenser. When it cools, it turns back into a liquid and drips onto the solid material in the extraction chamber.
This liquid solvent then dissolves the desired substance from the solid. Once enough liquid collects in the chamber, a special tube called a siphon empties the liquid (now with the dissolved substance) back into the boiling flask. This cycle repeats many times, making sure almost all of the desired substance is removed from the solid.
How Scientists Use a Soxhlet Extractor
Chemists use the Soxhlet extractor to remove a specific material from a solid mixture. It's especially helpful when the material doesn't dissolve easily in a liquid.
Scientists often use liquids like ether or alcohol as the "solvent" in the extractor. The Soxhlet extractor applies this solvent to the solid over and over again. This repeated washing helps to dissolve more and more of the desired material until most of it has been extracted.
For example, it can be used to extract fats from food samples or natural oils from plants.
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See also
In Spanish: Extractor Soxhlet para niños
