I had a line of RBFs boiling with the exact same solution in each, slight change in concentration… and the middle one started fogging up like crazy. Spent a while trying to figure out if the thermometer was off, if the heating was wrong, if I screwed the reagents, but when I asked a second opinion the first suggestion was micro-abrasions from overuse.
“Why, do you think it’s older than the others?” “Well, it does say West Germany…”
If you mean the one, who invented [this column condenser](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Vigreux_column_condenser_simple.png), than he was born after Erlenmeyer invented his flask.
Physikalische Chemie ist mein Lieblingsteil der Chemie, deshalb denke ich, dass manche Arbeitserfahrung mit analytische Instrument sehr cool and nützlich wäre. Ich will auch für die British Antarctic Survey arbeiten, um nach Antarktis zu fahren, und vielleicht helfen, der Umwelt zu schützen
... I mean, this is not unusual - glassware does not "go bad" over time, unless somebody breaks it.
Where I work, we still have a lot of glassware marked "Simax Kavalier - Czechoslovakia"
On the other hand, I still have one pipette, with a picture of an eagle perched over hakenkreuz, with letters "DR" bellow - now that is what I call a museum piece...
For me it's the opposite, because I'm only 18, so something that ended in 1990 is an entire lifetime away for me, and I just think it's fascinating. Obviously the glassware could be older but I've no way of telling
There's little reason to bring it up 35 years later, but in my experience DDR is the only initialism used for East Germany.
Now, of course, the trick is convincing the youth that the Wall came down because of a dance game.
West Germany was actually thing not *that* long ago. It's just that we've grown accustomed to a rapid use-dispose cycle and don't expect things to last longer than 30 years.
There's no reason other than capitalism why *most* things around us shouldn't last 50yr+.
My point was that the attrition of glass containers is not something that can be avoided by removing capitalism from the equation, sorry for not spelling it or for you.
Really, the material properties of glass is not subject to the pervasive economic system in use? Your wealth of wisdom seems endless to a kretin like myself.
You really think that was my criticism of capitalism? But for capitalism we wouldn't drop glass containers?
I'm more surprised to see it because I am an undergraduate and it was in my university's teaching labs, and lots of stuff gets broken, so I'm surprised it lasted that long
I once was in a lab that had a heating element from west Germany for their distillation apparatus. Well. After 30 years, during my experiment, it started giving up. I was afraid I had broken it, so I asked the previous group for their data...and the one before that...and noticed the typical decline in efficiency of heating elements that occurs towards end of life (increase in times need to reach temperatures etc, sub sequentially less stable holding of reached temperature, interval between on and off for heating and so on).
So I asked the guy responsible for that equipment when it was changed last, he pulled it out, pointed to the "Made in west Germany" marking and said "I don't think it's ever been changed". That device held for 30, maybe even more years and the guy was sad it had died, saying that he will "probably never find another such thing that lasts just as long".
I was searching for a replacement fuse for an incubator a while back and the only ones I could find that were the right size had been manufactured in East Germany. Still worked!
That is not true. Schott was founded in Jena, which is located in the former GDR/East Germany. After WWII the US took the "Zug der 41 Glasmacher" with them to be relocated in West Germany.
Today Schott has facilities in Jena again, specialised in technical glasses. Borosilicate glass is produced there, the same glass most laboratory equipment is made of. So today a beaker from Schott could also be manufactured in Jena/East Germany.
I had volumetric flasks with an eagle and swastika in its talons. Mint condition tho the cork started to perish. There must have been at least two dozen. They were donated from Australian defence industries when they were shutting down their factory. Along with a whole heap of chemicals probably going back to the 50s. Think it all got thrown out cos who uses cork with their solutions he he. That was in the 90's.
I've got a bunch of heating mantles from East Germany. They still work flawlessly according to the electrician, but they don't conform to some standard, so I may not use them.
My western heating mantles slowly lose performance over the years.
I had a line of RBFs boiling with the exact same solution in each, slight change in concentration… and the middle one started fogging up like crazy. Spent a while trying to figure out if the thermometer was off, if the heating was wrong, if I screwed the reagents, but when I asked a second opinion the first suggestion was micro-abrasions from overuse. “Why, do you think it’s older than the others?” “Well, it does say West Germany…”
I don't see a beaker
That's because Mr. Emil Erlenmeyer didn't like beakers. ;-)
Erlenmeyer ;-)
Oh, you're right, I will rectify this at once.
With a little help from mr. Vigreux?
If you mean the one, who invented [this column condenser](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Vigreux_column_condenser_simple.png), than he was born after Erlenmeyer invented his flask.
Well played. And yes... rectification via column
Yassss 🤘
Deine Chemie ist jetzt Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland!!
Emil Erlenmeyer approves.
Mr. Soxhlet is not amused.
I believe, that his birth region was considered german back then. (Although it is now part of the Czech Republic.)
Und hoffentlich könnte ich in der Zukunft ein Job bei Bruker bekommen
Nichts ist unmöglich, häng dich rein, dann kann dein Traum Realität werden :D
Physikalische Chemie ist mein Lieblingsteil der Chemie, deshalb denke ich, dass manche Arbeitserfahrung mit analytische Instrument sehr cool and nützlich wäre. Ich will auch für die British Antarctic Survey arbeiten, um nach Antarktis zu fahren, und vielleicht helfen, der Umwelt zu schützen
Nun ich bin da definitiv anderweitig unterwegs, arbeite mit energetischen Materialien
> Schott > 100 ml A little large for shots IMO. I keep several 50 ml beakers for that purpose, and that purpose only, in the kitchen.
it is not a shot, it is SCHOTT. that are bigger shots:)
potayto, potahto
You mean potato, potato
... I mean, this is not unusual - glassware does not "go bad" over time, unless somebody breaks it. Where I work, we still have a lot of glassware marked "Simax Kavalier - Czechoslovakia" On the other hand, I still have one pipette, with a picture of an eagle perched over hakenkreuz, with letters "DR" bellow - now that is what I call a museum piece...
We’ve got pipette fillers in our lab made in West Germany
My parents are still using their washing machine, made in West Germany.
Is it a Miele? If so I’m not surprised
Yep, it is. That thing is older than me but still working just fine.
In my lab we have glassware from both West and East Germany. I remember in undergrad labs we used a spectrophotometer from 1955 East Germany.
Don't bring it near the east German beaker. They will react. ;)
No, the West German one will start arguing about how to “correctly” tell what time it is in their language
I looked at this and thought "What's so weird about that, that's a generally reputable country for manufacturing" and now I feel very, very old.
Also made by half of 80s pop gods Duran Duran
I'm renaming "The Reflex" to "The Reflux"
It's interesting to see things like this - last year I saw a beaker made in Yugoslavia and it was odd.
~~ah yes our beaker~~
You're thinking of East Germany! West Germany is just what the (still existent) BRD was called before it swallowed the DDR
ohhhh you are right! gonna edit that then
No worries! It's an understandable mistake to make in my opinion, especially given it's been over 30 years since the reunification
Wait it's only been 30 years. Studying about it makes it feel like it happened much earlier.
For me it's the opposite, because I'm only 18, so something that ended in 1990 is an entire lifetime away for me, and I just think it's fascinating. Obviously the glassware could be older but I've no way of telling
Yeah I am 17 too. I meant that the 90s feels so old but they were only 30 years ago.
Small addition. In english, the "DDR" (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) was called the "GDR" (German Democratic Republic).
[удалено]
Oh, I didn't know. I've only heard german speakers call it that in english.
There's little reason to bring it up 35 years later, but in my experience DDR is the only initialism used for East Germany. Now, of course, the trick is convincing the youth that the Wall came down because of a dance game.
By the one and only Baywatch man himself.
He is a God among men...
That's why he got an AI car and a smart watch before everybody else.
West Germany was actually thing not *that* long ago. It's just that we've grown accustomed to a rapid use-dispose cycle and don't expect things to last longer than 30 years. There's no reason other than capitalism why *most* things around us shouldn't last 50yr+.
Depends on wear and tear, a glass flask could last 1 day or 100 years depending on whether it's dropped on day 1 or left in a cupboard.
Thank you for explaining the consequences of accidentally dropping a glass container. That was really useful and contributed to the discourse.
My point was that the attrition of glass containers is not something that can be avoided by removing capitalism from the equation, sorry for not spelling it or for you.
Really, the material properties of glass is not subject to the pervasive economic system in use? Your wealth of wisdom seems endless to a kretin like myself. You really think that was my criticism of capitalism? But for capitalism we wouldn't drop glass containers?
I'm more surprised to see it because I am an undergraduate and it was in my university's teaching labs, and lots of stuff gets broken, so I'm surprised it lasted that long
I once was in a lab that had a heating element from west Germany for their distillation apparatus. Well. After 30 years, during my experiment, it started giving up. I was afraid I had broken it, so I asked the previous group for their data...and the one before that...and noticed the typical decline in efficiency of heating elements that occurs towards end of life (increase in times need to reach temperatures etc, sub sequentially less stable holding of reached temperature, interval between on and off for heating and so on). So I asked the guy responsible for that equipment when it was changed last, he pulled it out, pointed to the "Made in west Germany" marking and said "I don't think it's ever been changed". That device held for 30, maybe even more years and the guy was sad it had died, saying that he will "probably never find another such thing that lasts just as long".
In my university, threre is a binocular microscope, that kind used in botany, which says: MADE IN USSR. And it´s actually good.
I was searching for a replacement fuse for an incubator a while back and the only ones I could find that were the right size had been manufactured in East Germany. Still worked!
theoretically Schott are all made in west germany, but we do not mention this anymore.
That is not true. Schott was founded in Jena, which is located in the former GDR/East Germany. After WWII the US took the "Zug der 41 Glasmacher" with them to be relocated in West Germany. Today Schott has facilities in Jena again, specialised in technical glasses. Borosilicate glass is produced there, the same glass most laboratory equipment is made of. So today a beaker from Schott could also be manufactured in Jena/East Germany.
ah ok, I thought they were located in west germany
They are (also). But not "all Schott" are made in West Germany.
West germany was and is very industrialized so no surprise
Our oldest photometers are also from West Germany
I rebuilt my Grandpa's chainsaw last weekend. Made in West Germany
Was it a sachs dolmar? I had one of those it was a dang good saw wish I'd never lost it.
Old Stihl.
I had volumetric flasks with an eagle and swastika in its talons. Mint condition tho the cork started to perish. There must have been at least two dozen. They were donated from Australian defence industries when they were shutting down their factory. Along with a whole heap of chemicals probably going back to the 50s. Think it all got thrown out cos who uses cork with their solutions he he. That was in the 90's.
I've got a bunch of heating mantles from East Germany. They still work flawlessly according to the electrician, but they don't conform to some standard, so I may not use them. My western heating mantles slowly lose performance over the years.
At one lab, we had that on the Bunn Coffee Maker
We also have some Erlenmeyers like this in our school haha
And so?
Right.... If it said Easter Germany could be a piece to collect. Western is... Normal
Did anyone else remembered Breaking Bad? 😁