The catalyst tube containing palladium-coated ceramic support (Figure 2) can be constructed from pieces of catalytic material obtained from automotive exhaust catalyst: see the instructions in our previous article (5) or it can be purchased for about $25 from Educational Innovations.
The U-tube cold trap (Figure 3) is constructed from a 24-cm length of 6-mm i.d. borosilicate glass tubing using a hot flame (propane torch). The U-tube must fit into a 150-mL beaker or 250-mL(9 ounce) plastic cup, which together will form the cold trap.