Soxhlet extractor (Soxhlet apparatus). Soxhlet extraction, Zaporizhzhia region.

Soxhlet extraction.
Soxhlet extractor (Soxhlet apparatus) is a device for continuous extraction of hard-to-dissolve solids from solid materials.
The Soxhlet extraction method is used to determine the percentage of fat. In many products, foodadditives and feeds, fat is introduced as one of the components. It increases nutrition (calories). The fat content specified by the manufacturer may differ significantly from its actual amount. This section presents installations for the determination of fat by the Soxhlet extraction method and other necessary equipment and consumables.
Determining the amount of fat occurs in two stages:
- dissolution (extraction) of fat;
- evaporation of the solvent and weighing of the remaining fat.
Soxhlet extraction takes about 3-12 hours and gives accurate results. Analysis of any solid products is possible.
Soxhlet extraction(//tractor-service.com)
Soxhlet extractor (Soxhlet apparatus) is a device for continuous extraction of hard-to-dissolve solids from solid materials.
The Soxhlet extraction method is used to determine the percentage of fat. Fat is introduced as one of the components in many products, food supplements and feeds. It increases nutrition (calories). The fat content specified by the manufacturer may differ significantly from its actual amount. This section presents installations for the determination of fat by the Soxhlet extraction method and other necessary equipment and consumables.
Peculiarities of Soxhlet extraction
The Soxhlet extraction method was invented in 1879 and is still popular due to its simplicity and low equipment cost. The basis of the method is the solvent's ability to extract fat. Determining the amount of fat occurs in two stages:
- dissolution (extraction) of fat;
- evaporation of the solvent and weighing of the remaining fat.
Soxhlet extraction takes about 3-12 hours and gives accurate results. Analysis of any solid products is possible.
The Soxhlet extractor is installed on a round-bottomed flask containing the extracting solvent and equipped with a reflux condenser. In the center of the apparatus there is a reservoir, in which is placed a sleeve made of thick cardboard or paper and filled with a solid sample from which extraction will be performed. The solvent is heated to the boiling point, it evaporates and, passing through the side outlet, enters the reflux condenser, where it condenses and drains into the sleeve. While the sleeve is filled with solvent, the target substance is extracted into this solvent. As soon as the liquid level in the sleeve reaches the upper level of the siphon, the sleeve is emptied: the solution of the substance flows into the original flask and the cycle repeats again. Thus, the device allows multiple extraction due to the repeated use of a relatively small volume of solvent, while the extracted substance accumulates in the main flask.
The efficiency of the extraction is additionally increased due to the fact that the sleeve is located directly above the flask and is heated by vapors of the boiling solvent.