Bucket Chemistry

It's almost a little disconcerting how fun it is to make solutions on a large scale. (Why yes, I will be using The Evil Additive.) "Large" as in about 50 kg. Given the limitations of the available lab equipment, the liberties taken with mass and volume measurements in making the solution are plenty to make a proper analytical chemist cringe. But the process itself is done in such a cavalier way, it's fun!

The first step is to simply add water to the solution container (maybe "holding tank" is a better phrase - it's large enough to merit a platform beside it for me to stand on). Alot of water. From the tap. With buckets. On the one hand, the buckets are graduated, so we "sort of" know how much water we are adding. On the other hand...it's a freaking bucket; how accurate can it be? Of course, I can weigh the water one bucket at a time, but that'll make me sad.

The second step is to put in the mixer. Yay for automated devices! It's a relatively heavy mixer, powered by compressed air (whee!); I dragoon a coworker into the exciting task of holding it for me.

The third step is to adjust the pH of the water with HCl or NaOH, as necessary. The poor little portable pH meter that I use doesn't really fare too well in this environment, but it's the only pH meter I have. Trying to avoid getting the pH probe cable tangled with the mixer looks vaguely like fishing in a whirlpool.

The fourth step consists of me adding a molten solute into the water. With a ladle. Rather like a manic chef making an insanely huge pot of soup.

The fifth step consists of re-adjusting the pH, again, so the solute actually dissolves properly.

The sixth step is to add The Evil Additive. This time, I bought a sifter - much handier than a sieve! There are still chunkies* in the solution if I use the sifter, but at least they are smaller. Having a mechanical mixer to agitate the solution for me is also nice. The only problem with the sifter is that it's nearly impossible to clean afterwards and now the one I have is dead from me disassembling it. Oh well, I'll see if I can fix it when I get back to work on Monday.

The seventh step is to add just a little more water to bring the solution up to the appropriate mass. Another bucket, coming up.

The last step is for my purposes only - I take a sample and check its pH. Because one of the additives has weak acid-base properties, the pH tends to stay where I want it. Unfortunately, pH happens to be temperature dependent, and I make my solution hot, so as the sample cools, the pH changes. Water evaporation is a also a problem as the solution sits, heated, over time.

For what it's worth, I do weigh out the amount of the various additives I used. Of course there are ways to make the process more accurate; such improvements are deemed to be too labour-intensive for now, however.

What really strikes me about the solution-making process is the incongruity of it all. If I have the chance I'd love to take a picture of the process. Oh well, at least it works.

*Yes, at the lab, this is a technical term.

(If you found this post silly, well, yes it is. I am undergoing something of an "existential crisis" right now and posts like these help keep me relatively sane.)