The Collaborative International Dictionary
Desiccator \Des"ic*ca`tor\, n.
One who, or that which, desiccates.
(Chem.) A short glass jar fitted with an air-tight cover, and containing some desiccating agent, as sulphuric acid, phosphorus pentoxide, or calcium chloride, above which is supported on a perforated platform the material to be dried, or preserved from moisture.
A machine or apparatus for drying fruit, milk, etc., usually by the aid of heat; an evaporator.
Wiktionary
n. 1 A closed glass vessel containing a desiccant (such as silica gel) used in laboratories for drying materials or for keeping them dry. 2 A machine for drying fruit, milk, etc., usually by the aid of heat; an evaporator.
Wikipedia
Desiccators are sealable enclosures containing desiccants used for preserving moisture-sensitive items such as cobalt chloride paper for another use. A common use for desiccators is to protect chemicals which are hygroscopic or which react with water from humidity.
The contents of desiccators are exposed to atmospheric moisture whenever the desiccators are opened. It also requires some time to achieve a low humidity. Hence they are not appropriate for storing chemicals which react quickly or violently with atmospheric moisture such as the alkali metals; a glovebox or Schlenk-type apparatus may be more suitable for these purposes.
Desiccators are sometimes used to remove traces of water from an almost-dry sample. Where a desiccator alone is unsatisfactory, the sample may be dried at elevated temperature using Abderhalden's drying pistol.
Usage examples of "desiccator".
Trade name of terfenadine, Marion Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the tactical nuclear weapon of nondrowsy antihistamines and mucoidal desiccators.
Trade name of terfenadine, Marion Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the tactical nu clear weapon of nondrowsy antihistamines and mucoidal desiccators.
The desiccators within the suit were sucking at maximum and, of course, recovering the water and restoring ion-exchanged liquid, containing a careful proportion of salt, into the appropriate receptacle.