Gloveboxes provide sealed work environments for the scientist. The interior of a glovebox can thereby be maintained at the same conditions as the outside environment or under different conditions such as an inert atmosphere. Exemplary applications include the handling of hazardous materials, the running of air and/or moisture sensitive experiments under inert gas, the handling of pathogens under negative pressure conditions and cleanroom applications. Our glovebox guide primarily addresses applications in molecular chemistry.

In molecular chemistry, gloveboxes usually contain an argon atmosphere from which oxygen and water is additionally withdrawn with the help of a catalyst. Applications under these conditions span from the storage and weighing of air and/or moisture sensitive compounds to the full-scale conduction of experiments. Gloveboxes are thereby often ideal for the handling of air and/or moisture sensitive molecules. Compounds that are typically stored and handled in the glovebox are for example:

• Pyrophoric solids and liquids such as organolithium and other organometallic reagents, alkali metals and alkyl phosphines. See for example the following link for the correct handling of pyrophoric tert-butyl lithium in a glovebox: https://app.jove.com/t/54705/a-protocol-for-safe-lithiation-reactions-using-organolithium-reagents
• Oxidation- and/or water-sensitive transition metal catalysts. These can be conveniently stored and weighed inside a glovebox.
• Non-pyrophoric solids that react readily with water such as freshly sublimed potassium tert-butoxide, or Meerwein salts. KOtBu quickly loses its activity when stored in the laboratory under ambient conditions.

Whether a compound needs to be handled within a glovebox usually depends on a few simple considerations.

1. Safety: Do the hazards of my compound when in contact with air or moisture warrant the use of a glovebox?
2. Reproducibility: Can an experiment be performed in a reproducible manner without employing a glovebox for storage and other tasks? If this is not the case then the use of a glovebox could be warranted.
3. Convenience: Although an experiment can be conducted with alternative techniques such as Schlenk methods, the utilization of a glovebox is more convenient and/or increases efficiency.

References

• https://ehs.princeton.edu/laboratory-research/laboratory-safety/laboratory-equipment-and-engineering/glove-boxes (accessed: 2025-02-09).
• https://schlenklinesurvivalguide.com/gloveboxes/ (accessed: 2025-02-09).
• Uwe Böhme, “Inertgastechnik, Arbeiten unter Schutzgas in der Chemie”, Walter de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin, 2020.
• https://www.mbraun.com/en/applications/batteries.html (accessed: 2025-02-09).
• https://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-18668.pdf (accessed 2025-02-09).
• https://www.marshall.edu/chemistry/facilities/glovebox/ (accessed 2025.02.09).
• M. R. Gau, M. J. Zdilla, J. Vis. Exp. 2016, 117, e54705.