Inhibitor removers

Inhibitor-remover packings and ready-to-use, disposable prepacked columns conveniently remove small amounts of inhibitors which are added to reagents or solvents that would otherwise be unstable. R: 20-37 S: 22-38-36
• Useful in applications which require that the stabilizer or inhibitor (hydroquinone (HQ), hydro-quinone monomethyl ether (MEHQ, 4-methoxyphenol), or 4-tert-butylcatechol (TBC) be removed prior to use.
• Columns may be discarded¹ when exhausted or reused by filling column approximately 3/4 full with new packing material. HQ/MEHQ columns refill vol.: ~21g. TBC column refill vol.:~30g.
• Approx. column capacity:
HQ/MEHQ: 3L at 100ppm
TBC: 4L at 15ppm
• TBC columns and packings are not recommended for use with polar solvents, including acrylic acid. Vacuum distillation is suggested for such applications.
Easy-to-use:
1. Prewashing of prepacked glass columns with a small amount of monomer is recommended.
2. Add monomer (or solvent) to an addition funnel which is secured above column.
3. Add monomer dropwise to the column. Monitor rate of addition to prevent overflow of the column. Collect monomer in an appropriate container.
4. For low-melting solid monomers, keep temperature of column above the melting point during use.
Caution: Overheating may cause monomer to polymerize on the column. Viscous or high-melting monomers may be diluted in an appropriate solvent before addition to the column.
¹Unused columns can be discarded with other solid chemical waste. After use, the toxicity and hazards of the monomer, from which the inhibitor is being removed, should be considered in deciding how to dispose of the packing material or column.

Inhibitor remover is mainly used in the purification of methyl methacrylate monomer (MMA) and the removal of hydroquinone, which can be used for the synthesis of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). It can also be used to purify and remove the inhibitor in N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) and hydroxylethyl methacrylate (HEMA), that can be used to fabricate a low-cost absorbent for metal absorption.