![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Desiccator.jpg/640px-Desiccator.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Desiccator
Sealable enclosures containing desiccants to preserve moisture-sensitive items / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Desiccator?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Desiccators are sealable enclosures containing desiccants used for preserving moisture-sensitive items such as cobalt chloride paper for another use. A common use for desiccators is to protect chemicals which are hygroscopic or which react with water from humidity.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Desiccator.jpg/640px-Desiccator.jpg)
The contents of desiccators are exposed to atmospheric moisture whenever the desiccators are opened. It also requires some time to achieve a low humidity. Hence they are not appropriate for storing chemicals which react quickly or violently with atmospheric moisture such as the alkali metals; a glovebox or Schlenk-type apparatus may be more suitable for these purposes.
Desiccators are sometimes used to remove traces of water from an almost-dry sample. Where a desiccator alone is unsatisfactory, the sample may be dried at elevated temperature using Abderhalden's drying pistol.