title: Safe and Ecological Refluxing with a Closed-Loop Air Cooling System.
abstract: Off-the-shelf computer cooling hardware was used to construct a closed-loop air cooling system (CLACS) that is distinguished by scalability, low energy, and no tap water consumption. Constructed to be generally used with laboratory condensers, the system was tested with several common low and high boiling solvents and showed a condensation performance equivalent to conventional tap water cooling. Reaction yields were therefore unaffected. Also, long-lasting Soxhlet extractions showed no performance loss relative to conventional cooling. Optionally, the device can be assembled from low-voltage components and be powered from a battery, rendering it independent of the main power. Both investment and running costs are minimal, allowing a lab-wide adoption and elimination of the two major drawbacks of commonly employed tap water cooling: waste of drinking water and the risk of flooding.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1400-3395
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Böhmdorfer
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Gottfried
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eilenberger
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7588-753X
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zweckmair
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sumerskii
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1981-2271
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Potthast
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemistry of Renewable Resources, Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 34, 3430, Tulln, Austria.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6636-9260
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rosenau
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D003201:Computers; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D004560:Electricity; D004867:Equipment Design; D012449:Safety; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012997:Solvents
keywords: green chemistry; laboratory equipment; refluxing; waste prevention; water preservation