Setting up an experiment for a chemical reaction

[Adrian Tudini]

TL;DR Summary

Chemical reaction in front of a spectral detector

Hi

I am trying to safely setup an experiment to measure a chemical reaction with a spectral detector. I was wondering how to setup the experiment safely in front of the spectral detector?

Do I have to perform some calculations based on the chemical reaction beforehand? Or what?

This is an interest and a personal project.

 

[TeethWhitener]

This depends on the reaction. E.g., if you’re measuring the progress of an innocuous reaction in a cheap UV vis spectrometer, there’s really no need for safety precautions beyond handling the reaction itself. If you’re measuring the detonation velocity of an explosive, well, that’s a whole different ballgame.

 

[chemisttree]

What kind of spectral detector? If you are doing absorption spectroscopy then you will need to do some calculations so that your reaction solution remains within the measuring capability of the instrument/technique you are using.
It might be easier to measure a single component of the reaction in a separate cuvette rather than in the reaction mixture itself. For example, if ammonia were being formed by a lithium-mediated process, it would make sense to sample the headspace (perhaps continuously) and measure it separately.