Help opening a sealed Desiccator - (Oct/19/2012 )

We were cleaning out our lab and we found a couple jar desiccators with drying salts in them that sealed shut. We have tried autoclaving water (to get it hot) and letting a desiccator soak in it with hopes it would open, it has yet to.

Does anyone have any advice/ideas on how to open them? (short of chiseling off the lid)

Can you describe the problem more in detail? Is it a ground joint between lid and bowl (with vacuum grease)? Do you have no access to the inner part at all (also not through the upper opening?) Is there still under-pressure in the desiccator?

if it's greased ground glass and not under vacuum then you can try sliding a razor blade or similar blade between the top and bottom.

also, you can try sliding the top off.