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A U-tube is, unsurprisingly, a U-shaped tube. There are a few different uses for them, but one of the more common is as a "bubbler" ... the tube is filled with water (or some solution) and a gas is passed through the tube in such a way that it bubbles through the liquid in order to pass. This "washes" the gas, and depending on the liquid material used to fill the tube can remove some impurities.

Another use for long, narrow U-tubes is to pass a refrigerant liquid (which may just be cold water) through them and use them to cool the material in a vessel without allowing actual contact between the material in the vessel and the refrigerant. The usual term for a U-tube used in this way is a "cold finger".

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9y ago

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