20 September 2010- Laboratory glasswares are the various equipments used for scientific experiments and research laboratories. Glassware used in a laboratory is used for different purpose. Glasswares are designed in such a way that they can resist chemical attack, withstand sterilization, and resist shattering from thermal shock. Some are used for measuring volumes. Lab glasswares are also used to heat and cool chemicals and solutions. The glass that is used to lab glassware is the borosilicate glass. In reality, this type of glassware is not glass at all, but inert plastic like Teflon. Let us check the most popular laboratory glassware:
Beaker
A beaker is a popular lab glassware, in a cylindrical shape and used for mixing, stirring, heating and also storing liquids used in many laboratories.
Boiling Tube
A boiling tube, made of borosilicate glass , is in the shape of a test tube and and is used for boiling samples. They are larger than average test tubes and samples are boiled without spilling over.
Vacuum Flask
Also known as a Buckner flask or filter flask, having a short glass tube and hose barb on its neck. Used for boiling samples, preferred for liquids with high boiling points.
Burets or burettes
They are used to accurately measure small measured volume of a liquid. It is a graduated tube that has a stopcock at its end at the end and can dispense precise volumes of liquid.
Glass Funnels
Funnels are conical shaped and are used to transfer liquids from one container to another.
Condenser
A condenser in a laboratory is used to cool hot liquids or vapors. The basic feature is that consists of a tube within a tube.
Petri Dish
Petri dish is a flat dish made of glass and it has a cover. It is basically used to grow bacteria.
Pipets
These are widely used lab glassware to measure and transfer small volumes. They can be thrown away or reused. Can also be autoclaved.
Crucible
This glassware is in the shape of a cup or bowl and is capable to hold samples which are to be heated to high temperatures. This usually comes with covers or lids.
Cuvette
This is made of glass and other materials like plastic, or optical-grade quartz. It is used to hold samples for spectroscopic analysis.
Thistle Tube
A
thistle tube is a long glass tube having a reservoir and funnel-like opening at one end. The basic purpose of a thistle tube is to add liquid through a stopper to an existing apparatus.
Gas Syringe
A gas syringe is basically a gas collecting bottle. It is used to measure, insert or withdraw a volume of gas.
Glass Bottles with Cork
They are used to safely store chemicals and solutions for further use and to avoid contamination.
Boiling Flasks
They are round bottomed glass flasks with thick walls. Also known as
Florence flask, they can withstand temperature changes due to heat and chemical reactions.
Graduated Cylinders
These are cylinders which are available in varied sizes and are properly graduated or marked so that volumes can be measured accurately.
NMR Tube
They are made of thin glass and are tube in shape. As the name suggests, they are used to hold samples used for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Retort
The shape of the retort is very unique. It is a spherical glass vessel having a downward-bending neck.
It is used for distillation or dry distillation and the bending neck acts as a condenser.
Schlenk flask
This flask or tube is basically a glass reaction vessel, having a sidearm fitted with a stopcock. This lets the vessel to be filled with gases or evacuated.
Cleaning Laboratory Glassware
Laboratory glassware needs to handled with great care and should be cleaned properly for further use. Check out
Cleaning Glass Laboratory Apparatus Easily
