Scientific Equipment Feature Article:
The Powerful Flame of the Meker
Burner
This article will describe the lesser-known but
particularly powerful Meker burner.
The Meker burner is a high temperature gas burner
adjustable air hole.
used for laboratory activities that require an
As the amount of air
extremely hot flame. This burner is a variant of the
increases, the flame
more conventional and widely-used Bunsen burner.
becomes hotter and
The Meker burner differs from the Bunsen burner
higher.
due to its ability to produce a hotter flame, which is
controlled
accomplished by the Meker’s specially-designed
mixture
barrel and grid that allow a more intimate mixture of
possible a flame of
air and gas. The Meker burner is used in professional
quality, ranging from luminous to hot non-luminous.
labs for various activities that require items to be
Although quite similar to the Bunsen burner in its
heated or exposed to extremely high temperatures. It
operation, the Meker burner is a much more
produces an evenly aerated flame of uniform
sophisticated, versatile burner than the Bunsen
intensity.
burner. It has a wider tube than the Bunsen burner
This
gas-airmakes
and contains a metal grid plate located on top of it.
How is a Meker Burner Used?
This grid produces a large outer-ring flame that is
much wider than the flame of the Bunsen burner and
Like the Bunsen burner, the design of a Meker burner
includes a long metal tube from which a flame
appears. This is connected to a weighted metal base
generates smaller flames. Unlike the Bunsen burner,
the heat produced by the Meker burner is uniformly
spread throughout the area of the flame.
from which air and gas combust. This base contains a
nozzle that is attached to both the fuel source being
What Makes a Meker Burner So Strong?
used and also a gas valve and a flue adjuster, which
controls the amount of air that is released through
small holes located at the tube’s base. Combustion
occurs and the combined air and gas rise to the top of
the Meker burner where they are then lit by a match
or lighter. A chemist can then hold an item that needs
to be heated over the flame. The user of the burner
controls the amount of air with a valve. The flame
can be adjusted when one opens or closes the
The Meker burner is made of durable materials, such
as nickel-plated brass tubes and stainless grids that
produce a short wide flame of uniform intensity.
Because these materials can withstand extremely hot
temperatures, those who need to perform experiments
that require temperatures that exceed those a Bunsen
burner can reach are able to do so. Additionally,
many Meker burners are able to run on both LP and
Chemical Education. 86.12 (2009).
natural gas.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 May
2012.
What is the History of the Meker Burner?
(2) The Lab Burner
http://www.msu.edu/~moorean4/TestSite/Ch
The Meker burner was invented in 1905 by French
chemist, M. G. Meker. Meker observed that the area
of maximum temperature in a Bunsen burner’s flame
was confined to a small region that was directly
above the outer tip of the flame. Meker wanted to
improve upon the single flame Bunsen burner with an
instrument that would produce more heat. In contrast
to the Bunsen burner, the Meker burner’s speciallydesigned grid forces a flame to split up into numerous
smaller flames, which contain their own maximum
temperature zones. Together, these flames generate a
much larger region of maximum temperature; thus,
there is an overall increase in the temperature of the
flame. Through modification, Meker observed that
his burner could reach temperatures of 1500 °C
(2732°F) as opposed to the conventional Bunsen
burner’s temperature of 935 °C (1715 °F). Thus, for
the past 100 years, the Meker burner has provided
chemists with a more powerful and sophisticated
instrument to use in their valuable research.
References
(1) Jenson, William B. “The Origin of the
Meker and Tirrill Burners.” Journal of
emistry/%20Labs/Unit%201%20Labs/burne
rlab.pdf
(3) CRS CR Scientific LLC, Meker Burner
http://www.crscientific.com/mekerburner.ht
ml
(4) The Science Fair Meker Burner
Temperature
http://www.thesciencefair.com/Merchant2/m
erchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code
=3053&Category_Code=lab-bur
(5) United Nuclear Scientific Equipemtn and
Supplies: High Temperature Supplies
http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_pa
ge=product_info&cPath=25_33&products_i
d=533