Receiver Adapter, Plain Bend, Long

Quick Answer: A long plain bend receiver adapter is a curved glass distillation fitting without a side tube, made with an extended delivery limb. The extra length carries distillate further down into the receiving vessel, for example into a narrow flask, a cooled receiver or below the surface of an absorbing solution.

What the Extra Length Is For

The standard plain bend releases distillate just inside the mouth of the receiver. The long version reaches well inside, which helps in three situations. With volatile distillates, delivering low in a cooled receiver reduces the vapour lost from the neck. With tall or narrow receivers such as a measuring cylinder, the tip passes the neck so drops fall freely instead of running down the inner wall. And when the product is a volatile base such as ammonia, the long limb can dip under a trapping solution of acid so nothing escapes to the air.

That last use needs attention. A tip below a liquid surface can suck the liquid back into the condenser when heating is reduced or stops, so lower the receiver until the tip is just clear of the solution before switching off the heat.

The title gives no length, joint size or bend angle, and long is relative to the matching short pattern rather than a fixed dimension.

Specifications

Applications

• Collecting ammonia in standard acid during nitrogen determinations, with the tip under the absorbing solution
• Delivering volatile solvents deep into an ice-cooled receiver
• Filling a tall measuring cylinder directly in experiments that record distillate volume
• Steam distillation into a flask where splashing at the neck must be avoided

Care & Handling

• The long limb is the most exposed part, so store the adapter lying in a padded tray or hung by its joint, never standing on the tip.
• Brush out the full length of the limb, as residue gathers at the lowest point of the curve.
• Whenever the tip is under liquid, keep an eye on the receiver as the heating is turned down.

Why Choose LabEquip

Food, agricultural and pharmacy testing labs that distil ammonia or other volatile components into trapping solutions often prefer the long bend. LabEquip offers it alongside the Kjeldahl distillation assembly and other chemistry lab equipments; state the joint size you use on the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the long plain bend differ from the standard plain bend?

Only in the length of the delivery limb. The long pattern reaches further into the receiver, which reduces vapour loss and lets the tip dip into a trapping liquid.

Can the tip be placed under the surface of the receiving liquid?

Yes, when absorbing a volatile base or acid such as ammonia. Lower the receiver so the tip is above the liquid before the heat is turned down, or suck-back can draw liquid into the condenser.

Why deliver volatile distillates low in the receiver?

Vapour escapes mainly from the neck of the receiver. Releasing drops near the bottom of a cooled flask means they meet cold liquid and glass at once, so less evaporates.

Will the long bend fit a short receiver?

Only if the limb does not touch the bottom. Compare the depth of your receiver with the adapter length; the tip must stay clear of the base.

Does the adapter have a vent?

No. It is a plain bend, so the receiver must stay open to the air during atmospheric distillation and should not be sealed onto a jointed flask without a vent elsewhere in the set.

How should it be cleaned after an ammonia distillation?

Rinse the outside and inside of the limb with distilled water into the receiver at the end of the run, so absorbed ammonia is not lost from the result, then wash the adapter normally.

Last Updated: September 2026