Quality improvement of common solvents by distillation using the Rotavapor® R-100

In chemical laboratories, especially in synthetic, analytical and pharmaceutical laboratories, a wide variety of solvents are applied. Obviously, the solvent quality, its environmental and health impact have to be carefully considered before use. The cost of the solvents is directly proportional to its purity, i.e. the higher the purity the higher the costs. However, even in highly pure solvents, residual impurities can impact the synthesis of a compound itself. Furthermore the impurities can be a great challenge for interpreting analytic results as for example NMR-data. In a simple study, combining rotary evaporation and gaschromatography with flame ionisation detection, GC-FID analysis, we present the impact of single and double distillation of high purity Chinese solvents. Six common organic solvents have been single and double distilled using an R-100 System. It is revealed that distillation prior to use may lead to even purer solvents and probably, higher syntethic yields and simpler post analysis.