Receiver Adapter, Bent With Socket Connection

Quick Answer: A bent receiver adapter with socket connection is a curved glass distillation fitting whose ground-glass socket receives the cone at the outlet of a condenser. The bend turns the sloping line of the condenser downwards, so the distillate runs into a receiving flask standing below.

Why the Condenser End Is a Socket

Ground joints in a distillation train are arranged so that liquid always passes from a cone into a socket. The outlet of a Liebig or Allihn condenser ends in a cone; the socket of this adapter slides over it, and condensate leaving the cone tip lands on the inner wall of the adapter below the ground zone. Were the parts reversed, liquid would run over the outside of the cone and seep through the joint, dissolving any grease and dripping outside the apparatus.

This listing names the socket connection but not the form of the lower, delivery end. On bends of this family that end is either a ground cone for a jointed receiver or a plain drip tube for an open flask or measuring cylinder. The socket size is not given either, and it has to match the condenser cone exactly, because ground joints of different sizes do not seal.

No side tube is named, so if the receiver is fitted onto a cone at the lower end, the apparatus needs an opening to the air somewhere else. Delivering through a drip tube into an open vessel avoids that question altogether.

Specifications

Applications

• Joining a Liebig condenser to a receiver in simple distillation of water or solvents
• Taking distillate from a steam distillation into an open collecting flask
• Replacing the bend in an existing ground-joint distillation kit
• Demonstrating correct joint direction when students assemble apparatus

Care & Handling

• Clamp the condenser rather than the adapter; the bend should hang from the condenser cone with a joint clip, while the receiver stands on its own support.
• Wipe grease out of the socket with a tissue moistened with a little acetone before washing, so it is not smeared over the whole piece in the sink.
• Inspect the inner edge of the socket for chips, which spoil the seal and can cut fingers.

Why Choose LabEquip

Chemistry departments assembling or repairing distillation sets order bends like this to fit condensers they already own. LabEquip supplies it with other chemistry lab equipments such as the Liebig condenser it connects to; send the condenser cone size through the LabEquip contact page so the socket matches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the adapter have a socket rather than a cone at the top?

Condenser outlets end in a cone, and joints are arranged so liquid flows from cone into socket. The distillate then drips off the cone tip inside the adapter instead of creeping through the ground surfaces.

Can I use it with a receiver that has a ground-glass neck?

Yes, if the delivery end is a cone of the same size as the receiver neck. Because this bend has no side tube, another part of the apparatus must stay open to the air so the heated system is not sealed.

What angle is the bend?

The title does not give the angle. Receiver bends are generally shaped so that, with the condenser sloping down from the still head, the delivery end points close to vertical into the receiver.

How do I hold the adapter on the condenser?

Push the socket fully onto the cone with a slight twist and fit a plastic joint clip. The clip stops the bend sliding off the sloping condenser, which is the most common way these adapters get broken.

Should the socket be greased?

For ordinary distillation a trace of grease spread round the top of the cone is plenty, and a PTFE sleeve can replace grease entirely. For aqueous work many labs leave the joint dry and simply clip it, which avoids grease reaching the distillate.

Is it suitable for vacuum distillation?

No. Vacuum work needs a receiver adapter with a vacuum side tube, so the pump can be connected after the condenser. This socket bend has no such connection.

Last Updated: September 2026