Florence
flask is also well known as boiling flask. It is an important type of flask
used in laboratories for heating substances that need to be heated evenly.
It is a laboratory glassware used as a container to hold solutions of
chemicals. Florence flasks have a round body with a single long neck. They
come with either a flat bottom or round bottom. Florence flasks with round
bottoms need some sort of support to stand upright while the flasks with a
flat bottom can stand upright alone on a flat surface.
Boiling flasks are usually made of borosilicate glass with a coating of
alkali, which prevent cracks or defacing of the glass. They are produced in
a number of different glass thicknesses to stand different types of use. The
conventional Florence flasks don't have a ground glass joint on their rather
longer necks but they have a slight flange or lip around the tip of the
neck. The most common size for a Florence flask is of 1 liter.
Applications of Boiling Flasks
Boiling flasks or Florence flasks can be exposed to flame. They have found a
variety of applications in laboratories, specially in chemistry labs. Some
of their common applications include:
- They are used to distill liquids.
- They are designed for easy swirling and uniform heating of chemicals.
- They can also be used for mild boiling.
- They are often used for boiling of liquids for sustained period.
Common Features of Florence Flasks
Some of the common features of different types of boiling flasks include :
- Boiling flasks are usually heavier than other lab flasks, such as
Erlenmeyer flask.
- The boiling flasks made of borosilicate glasses are resistant to
breakage due to heating.
- The Florence flasks may be fitted with rubber stoppers.
- Flat bottom Florence flasks are more robust and can withstand more
vigorous boiling.
Types of Boiling Flasks
Round Bottom Boiling Flasks
Boiling
flasks with round bottoms are used for boiling operations, and may be
directly exposed to flame. They are made of heat resistant glass. The
thicknesses of the wall of the flasks are controlled to maintain a balance
between mechanical strength and thermal expansion for greater shock
resistance. They are found in short-neck as well as long-neck styles with
jointed or tooled necks. They require some sort of support to stand up
right.
Flat
Bottom Boiling Flasks
The flat bottom boiling flasks are more useful in the sense that they can be
kept at the surface with more ease. They can withstand more vigorous
boiling. They are made of heat resistant glasses and are resistant to
thermal shocks.
Short Ring Neck Boiling Flasks, Round Bottom
The
short ring neck flasks are used in applications requiring rigid stoppering.
These ring neck boiling flasks are precisely tooled for uniform stopper fit.
They are chemically durable and have good mechanical strength.
Advantages of Boiling Flasks
- Boiling flasks or Florence flasks are good for heating purpose
because they heat more evenly than a beaker or Erlenmeyer flask.
- The flat bottom boiling flasks are much better to handle and use.
- Most of the boiling flasks are resistant to mechanical and thermal
shock.
- They can be heated directly in an open flame.
