There are different grades of solvents available on the market to cater to the needs of different laboratory research applications. Normally, the qualities of solvents are set by international organizations such as ASTM International or the American Chemical Society (ACS). Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a wide range of analytical grade solvents for research applications.
ACS grade solvents
Our ACS grade solvents are manufactured under specific quality control parameters. The Committee on Analytical Reagents of the ACS is the first of its kind to set the quality requirements for each solvent and develop a validated method to ascertain purity. These solvents are widely used in research laboratories in academic and industrial settings. Certificates of Analysis and MSDS are available upon request.
Anhydrous solvents
Anhydrous solvents are highly pure solvents made with low water content. Anhydrous solvents produced in laboratories use complex and difficult processes to reduce the moisture content. To minimize the moisture content, we use various dehydration methods, such as column distillation, addition of molecular sieves, and distillation over metallic catalyst.
Commercially available anhydrous solvents can be directly used in reactions, as further purification is not required. These anhydrous solvents are used in moisture-sensitive reactions in both organic and inorganic synthesis and in analytical laboratory applications where yields are maximized by reducing side reactions.
Anhydrous solvents normally have less than 50 ppm of water content. Care should be taken while opening the anhydrous solvents at ambient temperature as they tend to absorb moisture from the atmosphere.