The Liebig condenser (/ˈliːbɪɡ/, LEE-big)[1] or straight condenser is a piece of laboratory equipment, specifically a condenser consisting of a straight glass tube surrounded by a water jacket.
In typical laboratory operation, such as distillation, the condenser is clamped to a retort stand in vertical or oblique orientation. The hot vapor of some liquid is introduced at the upper end of the inner tube, and condenses in contact with its colder walls. Water (or some other fluid) is constantly circulated in the jacket to carry away the heat of vaporization released by the condensing vapor, keeping the tube below the liquid's boiling point. The condensed liquid drips out of the lower end of the inner tube.
The Liebig condenser can also be used in reflux or Soxhlet extraction operations, although other condenser types are better suited to those tasks. In this usage, the condenser is held vertically above the recipient with the boiling liquid. The vapor is admitted to the inner tube through the lower end, and the condensed liquid drips back through the same opening, while the upper end of the tube is usually left open to the atmosphere.
- ^ Sargent, Epes (December 14, 1854). "The First-class Standard Reader for Public and Private Schools: Containing a Summary of Rules for Pronunciation and Elocution, Numerous Exercises for Reading and Recitation, a New System of References to Rules and Definitions, and a Copious Explanatory Index". Phillips, Sampson;New York – via Google Books.