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Closed environment evaporation device

While attending PITTCON 2003, Inorganic Ventures' staff was introduced to a promising new instrument called EVAPOCLEAN™. The EVAPOCLEAN system was developed through a collaboration between Analab and the researchers of the National Center for Scientific Research. With multiple capabilities, EVAPOCLEAN shows significant promise for acid purification, sample digestion, and the concentration of liquid samples.

The remainder of this article contains excerpts and data taken from EVAPOCLEAN's promotional documentation. This article should not be interpreted as an endorsement for the product by Inorganic Ventures since our scientists have not yet tested the device. However, we are impressed with its potential for reducing environmental contamination and other general applications.

*EVAPOCLEAN™ Documentation

The function of the EVAPOCLEAN device is to evaporate up to 250 °C and to condensate, under controlled conditions, various chemical solutions. The innovation is that evaporation and immediate condensation proceed "in closed system" without exchange with the laboratory air (patent pending).

EVAPOCLEAN devices allow the analyst to process water solutions, organic solvents, acidic and alkaline solutions, concentrated solutions which derive from the dissolution with help of aggressive reagents (HF, HCl, HBr, HNO₃, HClO₄, H₂O₂, NH₄OH) of various materials: raw materials (rocks, minerals, ores, natural waters), industrial and advanced materials (cements, metals, glass products, ceramics), basic chemicals for industry, highly pure chemicals, liquid and solid wastes.

EVAPOCLEAN devices are also designed for trace and ultra-trace element analysis which necessitates clean room environment. They are made with non-contaminating and corrosion-resistant materials, and they do not emit particles. Evaporation-condensation cells are machined from high purity grade fluoropolymers, under controlled conditions.

Depending on the EVAPOCLEAN model that is chosen, 1 to 12samples can be processed, without risk of cross-contamination, simultaneously or independently. It is possible to evaporate to dryness or to leave a small residual volume of the evaporating liquid, to concentrate solutions, and to purify liquid reagents.

The concept of EVAPOCLEAN was developed at the Institute of Physics of the Earth.

The sub-boiling evaporation of the chemical matrix to be eliminated or to be cleansed takes place under constant, homogeneous and controlled temperature. The vapors, isolated from the surrounding atmosphere, are condensed and channeled in the cold zone. Contaminants in traces remain in the evaporated cup.

Examples of Recovery Data with EVAPOCLEAN 12p125 [Analysis of sub-ppb Semiconductor-grade chemicals by ICP-MS]
HF 49% Recovery [%]   Al 78     Sb 98     As 96     Ba 98     Be 89     Bi 98     Cd 100     Ca 83     Cr 98     Co 99     Cu 101     Ga 99     Ge 99     Au 99     Fe 95     Pb 95     Mg 103     Mn 98     Mo 94     Ni 85     Nb 99     K 88     Ag 91     Na 83     Sr 99     Ta 117     Tl 97     Sn 83     Ti 85     V 95     Zn 99     Zr 96	HCl 36% Recovery [%]   Al 102     As 92     Ba 100     Be 101     Bi 98     Cd 99     Ca 97     Cr 107     Co 92     Cu 94     Ga 92     Au 95     Fe 105     Pb 99     Li 118     Mg 108     Mn 100     Mo 87     Ni 81     Nb 93     K 100     Ag 95     Na 91     Sr 95     Ta 109     Tl 99     Sn 100     Ti 82     V 91     Zn 88     Zr 95	HNO3 69% Recovery [%]   Al 89     Sb 94     As 86     Ba 106     Be 98     Bi 101     Cd 92     Ca 94     Cr 103     Co 96     Cu 93     Ga 95     Ge 95     Au 98     Fe 82     Pb 104     Li 88     Mg 83     Mn 104     Mo 97     Ni 101     Nb 96     K 101     Ag 99     Na 104     Sr 98     Ta 99     Tl 105     Sn 99     Ti 78     V 92     Zn 81     Zr 96
50 ppt Spikes	100 ppt Spikes	500 ppt Spikes

DISCLAIMER  Inorganic Ventures / IV Labs, as of April 2003, has not used or tested the EVAPOCLEAN device. We hope to evaluate the instrument and publish additional reports based on our findings in the upcoming years. 

*EVAPOCLEAN™ promotional excerpts, pictures, and data have been reproduced with permission of Analab.

An Inorganic Ventures Publication - April 2003