Making 1% polymer solutions
Today, after finally getting our COSHH forms signed, we began work in the lab.
Our full day consisted of preparing 1% solutions of various polymers. Each solution had to weigh ~10g which meant that in each vial, 9.9g of Milli-Q water was added to 0.1g of polymer.
- 13 vials were rinsed with acetone and placed in an oven to dry.
- After drying, the vials were left to cool down to room temperature.
- The scales were tared. A magnetic stirrer was placed in a vial, and the mass of both the vial and the stirrer were measured and noted in a table.
- With the vial still on the scales, it was tared again. 0.1g of polymer was added to the vial. The weight was noted down in a table.
- Milli-Q water was added until the scales read approximately 10g.
- The vial containing the solution was then sealed and labelled.
- This was done 13 times (for 13 different types of polymer), with the spatulas used to obtain the polymers being rinsed with acetone after each use.
- 2 drops of concentrated HCl was added to solutions P1-P9.
- All 13 vials were placed on a hot-plate stirrer.
(Source: polymersomes)
