Refurbished Buchi R-215 system available from American Instrument Exchange. Click HERE for more details.
Buchi has been the go-to brand name for rotary evaporators for decades, and with good reason: since 1939 the company has offer high-quality, dependable products for use in R&D, quality control, and production in a wide variety of industries. Buchi rolled out the first commercially available “rotavapor” in the late 1950’s and still produces an array of rotary evaporators, from small benchtop units to huge 50L production models.
A quick primer on rotary evaporation. It’s a fairly basic process in which solvents are removed from a liquid solution or other mixture of compounds. While specific conditions will vary depending on application, the basic operation of the a rotovap is as follows: the solvent is heated over a heating bath while the drive unit rotates the evaporating flask evenly. The solvent vapor flows quickly into the condenser and the energy in the solvent is transferred to the cooling medium. The solvent then condenses and collects in the receiving flask. Got it?
Anyhow, back to the Buchi R-215. One thing we like about these systems is that they are modular, with a variety of glassware assemblies, vacuum controllers, baths and pumps that are all compatible with the R-215 tower base. The system pictured below comes equipped with a V-850 vacuum controller, a B-491 heated water bath, a V-700 vacuum pump, and dry ice condenser glassware assembly. (We may be able to provide additional/alternate glassware assemblies; call or email for details.)
The biggest improvement over previous iterations of the Buchi rotavaps is the V-850 controller. Pressure is essential to the evaporation process and the V-850 allows you to easily view all pressure parameters at a glance on the big, clear digital display. You can set vacuum regulation to a specific set-point and this controller has a library with 43 specified solvents already programmed. All of this is great for novice rotary evaporator users trying to familiarize themselves with the equipment and the process in general. (We’re seeing a lot of this these days in the rapidly burgeoning cannabis industry, as well as some artisanal distilleries.) The controller mounts onto a dedicated stick on top of the tower and communicates with the tower via an RS-485 interface. An additional USB interface allows for data transfer for data storage and evaluation.
Another benefit of the R-215 system is a variety of sizes for evaporating and receiving flasks, as well as specialized flasks for drying powdery substances. Evaporating flasks are available in volumes ranging from 50mL to 4000mL, while receiving flasks come in sizes from 50mL to 3000mL, all of which are more than adequate for most benchtop applications.
In short, we like the Buchi R-215. Unlike some other “updated” or “improved” equipment that has hit the market in recent years, Buchi has actually delivered on those terms with the R-215 and offers a product that is versatile, durable, and a good match for both experienced rotary evaporator operators as well as newbies.
American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.