Post date : November 06, 2026 Update date : November 06, 2026
USER TESTIMONIAL
Wanli Zhang
Research Staff, Emory University
Wanli Zhang and colleagues at Emory University use the Smart Evaporator C10 in their synthetic chemistry workflows, including natural product synthesis.
RESEARCH FIELD
Synthetic chemistry
Natural product synthesis
SYSTEM
Q1
What kind of research do you conduct?
Our lab mainly focuses on chemical synthesis and chemical transformations, including the synthesis of natural products.
Most members of our lab conduct synthetic chemistry on a daily basis, and some also perform preliminary biological testing.
Q2
How do you use the Smart Evaporator C10 in your laboratory?
We use a rotary evaporator and the Smart Evaporator C10 for different purposes.
We generally use a rotary evaporator to remove lower-boiling solvents. For smaller volumes of water, DMF, DMSO, and other solvents that are more difficult to remove, we use the Smart Evaporator C10.
The two systems have different roles in our lab.
ROTARY EVAPORATOR
Lower-boiling solvents
Smaller sample volumes
Water, DMF, DMSO, and other difficult-to-remove solvents
Q3
What do you find useful about the Smart Evaporator C10?
One of the biggest advantages is being able to remove solvents such as DMF and DMSO.
We can also process multiple samples at the same time, which is useful when we are running parallel reactions.
Foaming can sometimes be an issue when using a rotary evaporator. With the Smart Evaporator™, we experience less foaming, which helps reduce the risk of sample loss.
The system is also simple and easy to handle.
“It works very well and it helps us a lot.”
— Wanli Zhang, Emory University
Q4
Can you give us an example of how the Smart Evaporator fits into your workflow?
The workflow depends on the compound and the type of synthesis.
For example, we sometimes use the Smart Evaporator™ to remove water directly when working with compounds that are highly soluble in water.
We also use the Smart Evaporator™ as part of our downstream workflow after reverse-phase HPLC purification. Because these samples can contain water and acetonitrile, the solvent-removal process may involve both a rotary evaporator and the Smart Evaporator™ before the sample is fully concentrated.
The Smart Evaporator™ gives us another option for solvent removal depending on the sample and the stage of the experiment.
Q5
Is there anything you would like to see improved?
It would be useful to have an option that allows round-bottom flasks to be used directly with the Smart Evaporator™.
In some workflows, we currently need to transfer samples from a round-bottom flask to another container before using the Smart Evaporator™. Being able to use the flask directly could eliminate that transfer step and save time.
I think this could be particularly useful for researchers working with natural product separation or larger amounts of water.
KEY TAKEAWAY
A Complement to the Rotary Evaporator
In Zhang’s lab, the Smart Evaporator C10 does not replace the rotary evaporator. Instead, the two systems are used for different purposes.
While the rotary evaporator is used primarily to remove lower-boiling solvents, the Smart Evaporator C10 provides a practical option for smaller-volume samples and solvents such as water, DMF, and DMSO.
Its ability to process multiple samples simultaneously also makes it useful for parallel synthetic chemistry workflows.
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