Importance

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Abstract

A microwave vacuum oven for quickly removing volatile material from laboratory samples: The oven has a vacuum chamber for receiving the samples in a closed vessel and a vacuum source for expelling volatile material. This vessel has preferably a deformable gasket for sealing engagement with a top and bottom portion, and a gas passage is also provided therein for easily removing the top portion. Auxiliary components are also disclosed for gradually decreasing the microwave energy output in accordance with residual volatile material present at a given time in a system. A method described includes (a) maintaining a vacuum environment around a sample containing volatile material, (b) subjecting the sample to microwave radiation energy, to rapidly liberate its volatile material while measuring the rate of volatilization of the sample over time, (c) detecting the point at which said rate of volatilization decreases, (d) at said point decreasing the amount of radiation energy generated into said sample, while maintaining vacuum and continuing detecting the rate of volatilization, until said rate stops, indicative that said volatile material is completely liberated from said sample, and (e) stopping the radiation at or near the point at which said volatile material is completely liberated from said sample while said vacuum is maintained until the environment surrounding said sample is substantially free from any volatile material liberated from said sample.

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First Claim