Before pyrolyzing the plate and annealing the metal oxides, it is helpful to dry the plate at a more moderate temperature. There are several options for this.
- Gently heat on a hotplate.
- Warm in an oven.
- Allow to slowly air-dry.
The recommended method is oven drying.[1] A hotplate that is too warm may crack the glass, and air drying may not work at all, because some metal nitrate salts are quite hygroscopic.
- ↑ At what temperature? Is this the actual consensus (i.e. does everyone think oven is best)?