Question Scaling of Amalgam

[Katty Korner]

How much can the amalgam be scaled? And is there a ratio of say reactants to vessel size?

I read that back in the 70's, bikers would make meth by using an amalgam, and throw large batches in 55 gallon drums, throw that into a stream, and hopefully it didn't explode. Also read a thread where a guy made a vessel out of a 55 gallon drum, and that sounds like very good large scale.

 

[HIGGS BOSSON]

The amalgam can be scaled, but you need to select the conditions for loading components to your vessel.
If the reaction is carried out in barrels, without proper cooling and mixing, the temperature will go beyond critical limits, all solvents will boil off, and the reaction will not take place qualitatively with the formation of impurities.
If we talk about obtaining a high-quality product, there are only two ways:
To scale the load by carrying out many similar reactions in flasks in which the temperature can be controlled. Then pour all the products into one large container, alkali and extract
The second option is to use glass laboratory reactors with a jacket, in which you can turn on automatic mixing and control the temperature due to running water in the reactor jacket.