Filtration and choice of solvent

[~christina~]

Another seemingly simple issue that I've never really had to think about before until now.

Say, I have to filter out a solid precipitate that I see in a limited amount of unknown solvent.

I have a Büchner funnel, but I need to have a solvent to rinse the solid with.

Questions I have about this
1. If I don't know what solvent it is, do I have to find out what it is before I filter out the
solid? (i.e. using GC)

2. If I have to find out the solvent through GC (I have to do this anyway) before I filter out
the solid, and the mixture consists of more than one solvent, do I have to mix the
solvents that are in the mixture and use that to rinse the solid through the filter with?

Thank you,
~christina~

 

[chemisttree]

If all you are doing is a GC analysis, why don't you just use a syringe filter and be done with it? Or centrifuge and carefully decant with an eppendorf pipette?

 

[~christina~]

If all you are doing is a GC analysis, why don't you just use a syringe filter and be done with it? Or centrifuge and carefully decant with an eppendorf pipette?

We don't have syringe filters at our disposal. They have just advised us today to decant the solid out and evaporate the solvent.

Thank you for your help,
chemisttree

 

[Silex7]

i'd tell you to choose a solvent that does have a common ion with your precipitate..as example if you have AgCl you would use AgNO3 with it...and so on