Connecting Ground Glass Joints

I.
Title: Connecting Ground Glass Joints

Objective: To learn the proper way to connect a ground glass joint

Procedure:
Use a female ground glass joint on a round bottom flask
Use a male ground glass joint on the claisen head
Clean the joints then apply the grease to the male joint
Insert the greased male joint into the female joint in a circular motion and check for streaks

Observations:
Do not apply to much grease to the joint, it make cause contamination
Check for streaks; if there are streaks, then the seal is not air tight and redo

Questions:
a) Write a detailed and complete procedure for connecting ground glass joints. A female ground glass joint is used on a round bottom flask and a male ground glass joint on the claisen head. Make sure that the joints are cleaned by wiping with a paper towel. Then apply high vacuum grease to the male glass joint and connect it to the female glass joint in a circular motion. Inspect the joint area for streaks, if there’s a streak, it means that the seal is most likely not air tight. If there are streaks, reassemble the apparatus again.
b) Why do the joints have to be cleaned before applying vacuum grease? To make sure that the joints have no residues such as oil and that it is not broken. To make sure that it is clean of dirt and any other impurities.
c) Ground glass joints have a male and female component. Which component is the grease applied to? The male ground glass joint
d) What is the role of grease in connecting ground glass joints? The role of the grease is to tightly seal the joints together. What problems would one run into if the ground glass joints were slapped together without using grease? They would not be tightly sealed and could break or fall apart during the experiment. Also it would be hard to get them apart.
e) What problems would one encounter if too much grease is applied? The grease will most likely gather at the top or bottom of the joints and could contaminate the