Prevent Contact with Glove Boxes

Captair 2200ANM Pyramid Glove Bag, PVC with Butyl Gloves

Handling hazardous materials? Manipulating substances that need a controlled environment? Use glove boxes or glove bags to prevent contact.

Biological materials such as cell cultures, viruses or DNA, or radioactive isotopes or toxic chemicals may be sensitive to ambient environment and require isolated conditions. Some small-scale processes also demand sterile or controlled conditions such as tissue culture manipulation, coating of materials, or the purification of chemicals. Glove boxes can also control environmental parameters such as temperature, oxygen, moisture, and more.

Types of Glove Boxes and Glove Bags

Inflatable Glove Bags protect moisture- or oxygen-sensitive materials during brief manipulation operations, such as weighing. They offer you minimal protection from materials which permeate polyethylene or are emitted through the access opening. To improve safety, use these in a fume hood.

Basic Glove Boxes provide a draft-free environment as well as short-term protection for materials from the outside atmosphere. Some models are designed to reduce oxygen and moisture. These boxes can offer you limited protection from volatile materials. Consider design, cleaning ease, footprint, ability to transfer materials during glove box operation, and materials of construction when choosing one of these glove boxes.

Controlled Atmosphere Glove Boxes are designed to remove a high percentage of air to protect moisture and/or oxygen sensitive materials, typically using vacuum/nitrogen fill cycling. Models for handling anaerobic organisms typically require use of a gas mixture. Higher quality boxes may feature robust materials and construction to resist solvent attack and gas leakage, or atmospheric recirculation to remove trace oxygen, moisture, or metabolic by-products.

Biohazard, and Multihazard Glove Boxes are mostly designed to protect the operator using HEPA filtration and possible outside ventilation. High quality boxes may also offer inlet particulate filtration, media to absorb volatile organics, and exacting pressure control to maximize operational integrity and operator safety.