What are boiling stones Why are they used?
Similarly, you may ask, what is the purpose of boiling stones in recrystallization?
Boiling stones (or boiling chips) are small pieces of black porous rock (often silicon carbide) that are added to a solvent or solution. They contain trapped air that bubbles out as a liquid is heated, and have high surface area that can act as nucleation sites for formation of solvent bubbles.
Keeping this in view, how do you use a boiling stone?
Always use a boiling chip when heating a solvent. Never add a boiling chip to a solvent which is already hot, because it can cause to solvent to boil over violently. If you forget to add a boiling chip before you begin, you must cool the solution before adding one to prevent product loss.
Boiling chips and stones are only used once, as the absorptive material becomes impregnated with the first solvent used in.