Schlenk Lines
Air-sensitive chemistry doesn't forgive a leaky manifold. These J Young Schlenk lines pair greaseless PTFE taps with borosilicate construction, in single bank, dual bank, offset, and space saving configurations from $595.
Single and dual bank manifolds from $595 to $1,751
Greaseless J Young PTFE taps on standard models
Space saving and offset layouts for crowded fume hoods
Matching J Young flasks, taps, and cold traps in the same collection
Models suitable for…
Organometallic synthesis
Catalysis research
Polymer and materials chemistry
Teaching air-free technique
J Young Schlenk lines at a glance
What is this collection?
A range of J Young Schlenk line manifolds in single bank, single bank with vacuum gauge port, dual bank, dual bank offset, and space saving configurations. Standard models use greaseless J Young PTFE taps; a dual bank variant with traditional glass stopcocks is also available. Prices run from $595 to $1,751, with replacement Schlenk caps at $30.
Who is it for?
Synthetic chemists, PIs, and lab managers running air-sensitive or moisture-sensitive work in organometallic, catalysis, polymer, and inorganic chemistry labs. Also suited to teaching labs introducing students to air-free technique, and new lab builds where the glassware budget has to cover more than one setup.
What does it do?
A Schlenk line gives you switchable access to vacuum and inert gas at each port, so you can evacuate, backfill, and manipulate reactions without exposing them to air or moisture. Dual bank models carry vacuum and inert gas on separate manifolds; single bank models serve as a vacuum or gas manifold on their own or alongside an existing line.
What problems does it solve?
Decomposed catalysts and dead reagents from oxygen and moisture exposure. Grease contamination in your products from greased stopcocks. Fume hoods too crowded for a full-depth dual manifold. Replacing a broken departmental line without a months-long procurement cycle.
What are your next steps?
Decide between single and dual bank based on how you'll supply inert gas, check the configuration guide below for fit in your hood, and pair the manifold with the cold trap, taps, and flasks you need from the J Young collection.
What Schlenk line info can you find on this page?
What is a Schlenk line and how does it work?
A Schlenk line is a glass manifold that lets you switch each connected vessel between vacuum and inert gas without opening it to the atmosphere. The classic configuration is a dual bank manifold: one glass tube carries vacuum from your pump, the other carries nitrogen or argon, and a tap at each port selects between them.
That switching is the whole point. Air-sensitive reagents like organolithiums, Grignards, metal catalysts, and many phosphines degrade on contact with oxygen or moisture. With a Schlenk line you can:
- Evacuate a flask and backfill it with inert gas, repeating the cycle until the atmosphere inside is effectively air-free.
- Transfer solvents and reagents by cannula or syringe under positive inert gas pressure.
- Dry glassware under vacuum with heating before introducing sensitive materials.
- Degas solvents by freeze-pump-thaw cycles.
Two supporting components make the line work. A cold trap sits between the manifold and the vacuum pump, condensing solvent vapors before they reach and damage the pump. A bubbler on the inert gas side vents excess pressure and gives you a visual check that gas is flowing. Both are available in the J Young cold traps and bubblers category, covered in the section on completing your line below.
A glovebox handles the same chemistry in a sealed nitrogen or argon atmosphere, but at many times the cost and bench footprint. For most air-sensitive synthesis, a Schlenk line on the bench is the working standard.
Choosing your Schlenk line configuration
If your situation is... | Consider... |
Standard air-free synthesis with vacuum and inert gas at every port. | Dual bank manifold ($1,358). The classic Schlenk line layout. |
You want vacuum level visibility on the line itself. | Single bank manifold with vacuum gauge port ($822), which accepts a gauge directly on the manifold. |
A vacuum-only or gas-only manifold, or an addition to an existing line. | Single bank manifold ($668). |
A crowded or shallow fume hood. | Space saving manifold ($595), the most compact footprint in the collection. |
Port geometry that keeps attached glassware from crowding each other. | Dual bank offset manifold ($1,364), with staggered port positions. |
You prefer traditional glass stopcocks over PTFE taps. | Dual bank manifold with glass stopcocks ($1,751). |
Why chemists specify J Young taps
The tap is the part of a Schlenk line that fails first and contaminates the worst. Traditional glass stopcocks seal with vacuum grease, and grease has two problems
- it migrates into your chemistry.
- it dissolves in many organic solvents, which degrades the seal when you're using the line hardest.
J Young taps seal glass against PTFE with no grease. In practice that means…
No grease contamination in your products or your NMR spectra.
No seal degradation from solvent vapor exposure.
Fine control when you're throttling vacuum onto a volatile solvent, instead of the all-or-nothing action of a quarter-turn stopcock.
J Young is the original UK manufacturer of this valve design, and the name has become shorthand for greaseless PTFE valves across synthetic chemistry. These manifolds are the genuine article, not a pattern copy. The glass stopcock variant exists for labs that prefer the traditional approach and have a grease regimen they trust.
What else you need to run a Schlenk line
The manifold is the core of the line, not the whole line. A working setup also needs additional pieces.
A cold trap between the manifold and your vacuum pump. Without one, solvent vapors end up in the pump oil. J Young cold traps and bubblers are in their own category in this collection.
A bubbler on the inert gas side to vent overpressure and confirm flow.
A vacuum pump. We carry vacuum pumps and controllers separately.
Schlenk flasks with matching joints and taps. The J Young Schlenk flask collection covers round bottom and cylindrical bodies with PTFE tap and glass tap options.
Tubing, joints, and adaptors. J Young taps, joints, and cone adaptors are stocked alongside the manifolds, so you can match every connection to the same standard instead of improvising between brands.
Buying the manifold and its supporting glassware from one collection means matched joints and one supplier when something breaks mid-project.
Where these Schlenk lines are used
Organometallic and inorganic synthesis
The core application. Catalyst preparation, ligand synthesis, and any chemistry where the reagents die on air contact.
Catalysis research
Preparing, handling, and storing air-sensitive catalysts under inert atmosphere, with degassed solvents from freeze-pump-thaw on the same line.
Polymer and materials chemistry
Air-free polymerizations and moisture-sensitive precursor handling, where a trace of water kills the initiator.
Teaching labs
Training students in Schlenk technique on equipment with the same tap standard they'll meet in research labs.
Schlenk line frequently asked questions
A vacuum line is a manifold connected to vacuum only. A Schlenk line adds inert gas, either on a second manifold (dual bank) or supplied separately, so each port can switch between evacuating a vessel and backfilling it with nitrogen or argon. The single bank manifolds here can serve as either half of that setup.
If you're running standard air-free synthesis, the dual bank is the conventional choice: vacuum and inert gas at every port through one tap. A single bank makes sense as a dedicated vacuum or gas manifold, as an extension of an existing line, or where budget or hood depth rules out the dual bank.
Both are standard. Nitrogen is cheaper and fine for most air-sensitive work. Argon is denser than air and inert toward the lithium and titanium chemistry that nitrogen can interfere with, so labs running those reactions specify argon. The manifold itself doesn't care which you plumb in.
The dual bank with glass stopcocks ($1,751) is a different construction from the standard dual bank ($1,358), built for labs that specifically want traditional greased glass stopcocks. Most labs buying new specify the greaseless PTFE taps; the glass stopcock model exists for those with an established preference.
Yes, if you value your vacuum pump. The trap condenses solvent vapors pulled off your reactions before they reach the pump. Run it with a dry ice slush or liquid nitrogen, and follow your institution's safety guidance for trap handling, since closed traps cooled with liquid nitrogen can condense liquid oxygen.
Compatibility comes down to joint sizes and connections, which are listed on each product page. Matching the manifold with flasks, taps, and adaptors from the same J Young collection removes the guesswork.
Glassware under vacuum can implode, so inspect for star cracks and chips before each use and wear eye protection. Manage cold traps according to your institution's procedures, and never pressurize the line beyond what your bubbler relieves. Your institution's air-free technique training and published guides like the ACS illustrated guide to Schlenk technique cover operating practice in depth.
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