Student Working with Glassware Apparatus in Chemistry Laboratory, San Francisco State College, November 1971 (Alternate View) (Updated last month)

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A student adjusts components of a complex glassware apparatus in a chemistry laboratory at San Francisco State College, November 1971. The interconnected system of tubes and flasks suggests experimental work involving distillation, synthesis, or controlled chemical reactions.

Tags: faculty, staff, and administration

Added to SFSU Over the Years on August 25, 2026.

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Information

  • Identifier: TP-ATA-1909
  • Date: Nov 1971
  • Context: <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">This is likely a&nbsp;<strong data-start="299" data-end="315">Schlenk line</strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong data-start="319" data-end="356">high-vacuum glass manifold system</strong>, used for handling air-sensitive compounds. It could also be a&nbsp;<strong data-start="420" data-end="452">reflux/distillation assembly</strong>&nbsp;for purifying or synthesizing chemicals. Here's what stands out:</p> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Key Apparatus in the Image</strong></p> <ol style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;"> <li><strong>Round-bottom flasks</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; Holding chemicals for heating, reactions, or distillation.</li> <li><strong>Condensers</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; Long vertical glass columns, used to cool vapor back into liquid (common in reflux or distillation).</li> <li><strong>Vacuum adapters and stopcocks</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; Control the pressure and flow of gases or solvents. These are connected to vacuum pumps (likely out of view).</li> <li><strong>Clamps and lab stands</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; Supporting all the glassware safely.</li> <li><strong>Gas regulators and tubing</strong>&nbsp;&ndash; In the background, connected to pressurized gas cylinders, possibly for nitrogen or argon.</li> </ol> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;</p> <h3 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Purpose of the Foil Wrapping:</strong></h3> <h4 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="279" data-end="311">1.&nbsp;<strong data-start="287" data-end="309">Thermal Insulation</strong></h4> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="312" data-end="558">The foil helps&nbsp;<strong data-start="327" data-end="342">retain heat</strong>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<strong data-start="346" data-end="372">protect from heat loss</strong>. If there's a chemical reaction occurring that needs elevated temperatures, the foil helps&nbsp;<strong data-start="464" data-end="496">maintain thermal consistency</strong>. It can also prevent&nbsp;<strong data-start="518" data-end="557">heat transfer to adjacent apparatus</strong>.</p> <h4 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="560" data-end="590">2.&nbsp;<strong data-start="568" data-end="588">Light Protection</strong></h4> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="591" data-end="768">Some reactions are&nbsp;<strong data-start="610" data-end="628">photosensitive</strong>, meaning they can degrade or react when exposed to light. Wrapping in foil blocks ambient light and&nbsp;<strong data-start="729" data-end="767">protects light-sensitive compounds</strong>.</p> <h4 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="770" data-end="800">3.&nbsp;<strong data-start="778" data-end="798">Safety Shielding</strong></h4> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="801" data-end="961">In high-pressure or volatile reactions, foil can act as a&nbsp;<strong data-start="859" data-end="876">light barrier</strong>&nbsp;and a bit of a&nbsp;<strong data-start="892" data-end="912">containment wrap</strong>&mdash;to&nbsp;<strong data-start="916" data-end="951">mitigate small glass shattering</strong>&nbsp;or leaks.</p> <h4 style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="963" data-end="997">4.&nbsp;<strong data-start="971" data-end="995">Condensation Control</strong></h4> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;" data-start="998" data-end="1174">In some distillation or reflux setups, foil can be used to&nbsp;<strong data-start="1057" data-end="1089">reduce unwanted condensation</strong>&nbsp;in specific parts of the system, especially if controlling vapor paths is important.</p> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">Given the complexity of the glassware and the tightly controlled lab environment, she is probably:</p> <ul style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;"> <li data-start="1320" data-end="1397">Running a<strong data-start="1330" data-end="1346">distillation</strong>,&nbsp;<strong data-start="1348" data-end="1369">organic synthesis</strong>, or&nbsp;<strong data-start="1374" data-end="1396">gas-phase reaction</strong>.</li> <li data-start="1400" data-end="1473">Monitoring the reaction flow and<strong data-start="1433" data-end="1472">manually adjusting valves or joints</strong>.</li> <li data-start="1476" data-end="1564">Using the foil to<strong data-start="1494" data-end="1532">stabilize the reaction environment</strong>&nbsp;or protect a sensitive process.</li> </ul> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;"><strong>Credits:</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">Some technical descriptions and historical interpretations were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.</p> <p style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;">&nbsp;</p>
  • Geographic Coverage: San Francisco, CA
  • Temporal Coverage: 1970s
  • Type: Still Image
  • Format: Negative
  • Source: San Francisco State University Archives
  • Rights: Public

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