SWIM is a bit scared about heating naptha, it doesn't look a very prudent thing to do. How do you do this safely?

One more question: Can SWIM achieve nice yields doing an a/b extraction using cold naphtha instead of warm naphtha?

Thanks!

Here's what I do..heat water in small pot..use a mason jar, loosely covered with naptha you want heated inside.Then I use a metal strainer that sits on the edge of the pot and dips in the water and put the mason jar in it so that it sits suspended in the water, without touching the hot pot.

Nice! That seems to be a really good method. Thank you.

Anymore possibilities?

Electric hob with saucepan of boiling kettle water, bring back to the boil and hold glass in water using gloves or paper towels so the steam doesnt burn you.
Ive had no problems with the glass touching the bottom of the pan. Take off heat and let settle and repeat a few times until naptha is hot.

Don't heat up the naphtha! My friend's never does it. However, keep the basified solution hot, about 60-70 C. Thus when adding the naphtha, it will warm up by contact up to the same temperature.

Temperature is key here and hot is better than cold. Hot solutions and naphtha produce the best yields, but my lab friends do not ever heat it separately. If you feel that after 1 or 2 pulls the basified solution is not as hot it was before, you can heat it up carefully but without the flamability risk of naphtha

http://www.recipetips.co.../glossary/s/strainer.jpg
use one of these.

My friend uses an electric kettle to get the water to whatever temperature he wants, then he pours the water into a large plastic mixing bowl. He then sets the container he's heating into the hot water bath. He either uses small plastic tupperware containers that float, or large glass containers with tops higher than the water level. This seems to work fine, and no breakages have been reported -- then again, he only uses tempered glassware, and perhaps regular glassware would shatter upon sudden exposure to boiling water. Be careful.