Retorten

Retorten is the plural form of the German word Retorte and refers to a class of distillation vessels used in chemistry and related fields. In English usage, the term retort (plural retorts) describes a sealed or semi-sealed vessel with a curved neck used to heat substances and collect distilled products. Retorten are typically made of glass, ceramic, or metal and come in several shapes, but a traditional form has a bulbous body and a long, narrow neck that leads to a receiver. The neck is often bent or directed upward to prevent backflow; a stopper or ground-glass joint seals the vessel, and a separate receiver captures distillate.

Used since medieval and early modern laboratories, retorts were employed for distillation, dehydration, and reactions carried out under pressure or limited ventilation. They played a key role in alchemy and early chemistry, allowing volatile compounds to be liberated from mixtures and condensed for collection. In industry, larger coal-gas and chemical-retort units were used for destructive distillation and gas production; these retorts could be heated externally and connected to piping for the capture of byproducts.

In modern practice, retorts are less common in routine laboratories, having been largely superseded by more versatile glassware and reflux systems. The term survives in historical descriptions and in industrial contexts referring to coal gas, coke ovens, or specialized distillation equipment. The word Retorte derives from French and Latin roots meaning bent or twisted back, reflecting the vessel’s shape.