Lab
L b Equipment
E ipm nt
Safety Goggles
For the highest level of
protection, safety goggles
that completely cover the
eye and eye socket and
seal against the face
are recommended.
Lab Apron
(folded)
Beaker
Beakers hold solids or
liquids
li id th
thatt will
ill nott
release gases when
reacted or are unlikely
y
to splatter if stirred
or heated.
Beaker Tongs
Beaker tongs are
used to move beakers
containing hot liquids.
liquids
Erlenmeyer Flask
Erlenmeyer flasks, sometimes
called cone
cone-shaped flasks,
flasks
hold solids or liquids that may
release gases during a
reaction or that are likely to
splatter if stirred or heated.
Volumetric
m
Flasks
Volumetric flasks come in a variety
of sizes and are used to make
solutions of exact concentrations.
Flask Tongs
Graduated Cylinder
A graduated cylinder is
used to measure volumes
of liquids.
Always use the smallest
one that accommodates
the amount you need to
measure and record the
measurement to the
first estimated digit;
i.e., read between the
lin f
lines
for th
the fin
finall di
digit.
it
Funnel
A f
funnell iis used
d
to aid in the
transfer of liquid
q
from one vessel to
another or, with
filter paper,
paper to
separate a solid
from a liquid.
Rubber Stoppers
Rubber stoppers are used
to close containers to avoid
spillage or contamination.
Containers should never be
heated when there is a
stopper in place.
Test Tubes
Test tubes come in a variety of sizes and are
generally used as reaction vessels. They may be
heated over a Bunsen burner or placed in a water
bath for heating or cooling purposes.
Test Tube Holder
A test tube
b holder
h ld is
useful for holding a
test tube which is
too hot to handle.
This instrument is
NOT a test tube
clamp! Clamps
attach
h one thing
hi to
another thing.
Test Tube Racks
Test tube racks are for holding and organizing test
tubes on the laboratory
y counter. Plastic racks may
y
melt in contact with very hot test tubes.
Test Tube Brushes
T t tube
Test
t b b
brushes
h are
used to clean test tubes
and g
graduated cylinders.
y
Bristles should not be
hard enough to scratch
the glass surfaces.
Forcing
F
i a llarge b
brush
h into
i t
a small test tube will
often break the tube.
MicroMicro
-Well Plates
Micro-well plates are used
Microto perform many small scale
reactions at one time.
The use of micromicro-well plates
can reduce lab costs and is
often safer (due to the
smaller amounts used) than
fullfull
-scale experiments.
experiments
Glass Plates
Glass plates provide a
surface
f
f
for semisemii-micro
i
scale experiments,
such as drop
p reactions
and testing of acids
and bases.
Watch Glass
W
A watch glass is used to
hold a small amount of
liquid or solid or as a
cover for a beaker.
Evaporating Dish
The evaporating dish is
used for recovering a
solid solute from a
solution by evaporating
off the solvent.
Evaporating dishes may
be heated gently.
gently
Crucible
Crucibles are used for
heating substances to
very high temperatures.
temperatures
Crucible Tongs
Crucible tongs are
used with crucibles
to avoid adding mass
from finger oils and
when handling hot
crucibles.
ibl
They
y may
y also used
to pick up other hot
objects, but NEVER
to pick up beakers!
Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle is used to grind
solids into powders.
pestle
mortar
Spatulas /
Scoopulas
l
Spatulas
Spatulas and scoopulas are
used to dispense solid chemicals
from their containers.
Scoopula
Chemicals should NEVER
be transferred with your
b
bare
h
hands.
d
Plastic Chemical Spoon
Plastic chemical
spoons are used
when the metal of a
regular spatula might
react with
i h chemicals
h i l
being used.
Forceps
Forceps are used to
pick up small objects.
Weigh
g Boat
Weigh boats are used to
weigh (mass) solids that
will be transferred to
another
th vessel.
l
Weighing
g g paper,
p p
sheets
of coated paper squares,
may also be used to
weigh (mass) solids.
solids
NEVER place chemicals directly on a balance!!!
Analytical
y
Balance
Analytical balances are used to find mass precisely
to three or four decimal places.
Glass Stir Rod
A glass rod is used to
manually
y stir solutions.
It can also be used to
control the transfer of
a liquid or even a single
drop of a solution.
Thermometers
Pipets and Pipet Bulb
A p
pipet
p measures and delivers exact
volumes of liquids.
Buret
(on ring stand)
Eudiometer
Gas Collection Tube
WideWide
-Mouth Bottle
(Gas Collecting Bottle)
Wide-mouth bottles are
Wideused to collect gases by
the displacement of water.
water
Pneumatic Water Trough
Water Trough
g for Collecting
g Gas
Medicine Dropper
A medicine dropper is
used to transfer a
small volume of liquid
(less than one mL).
mL).
On
O top of
f each
h medicine
di i
dropper
d
is
i a “rubber
“ bb bulb.”
b lb ”
NEVER turn the dropper upside down or allow liquid
to enter the bulb.
Wash Bottle
A wash bottle has a spout
that delivers a wash solution
to a specific area.
Distilled water is the only
liquid that should be used
in a wash bottle.
bottle
Ringstands
g
and their Components
p
A ringstand consists of a
h
heavy
metal
t l base
b
and
d screwscrewin metal rod to which various
items may
y be attached.
The use of ringstands and
their components (see
following slides) provide a
safe and convenient way to
attach
tt h and
d supportt a wide
id
variety of items required in
many
y experimental
p
procedures.
Ringstands and their Components
Iron Rings
Iron rings connect to a
ringstand
g
and p
provide a
stable, elevated platform.
Clay Triangle
The clay triangle is
used as a support for
porcelain crucibles
being heated over a
Bunsen burner.
It can also be used as
a support for a funnel.
funnel
Ringstands and their Components
Ring Utility Clamps
Ring utility clamps are used
to secure test tubes, flasks,
burets,, distillation columns,
burets
etc.
etc to the ringstand
ringstand..
Ringstands
g
and their Components
p
Double Buret Clamps
Double Buret Clamps are used to attach burets
burets,,
eudiometers,
eudiometers or gas collection tubes to a ringstand
ringstand..
Ringstands
g
and their Components
p
Wire Gauze
A wire
i gauze sits
i on
the iron ring to provide
a surface on which a
beaker or flask may
be placed.
On older wire gauze, the white material is asbestos!
B
Bunsen
B
Burner
Bunsen burners are used
for the heating
g of
nonvolatile liquids and
solids.
Strikers
Strikers are used to
light Bunsen burners.
The flints on strikers are
expensive.
i
D
Do nott operate
t
the striker repeatedly
jjust to see the sparks!
p
Pressed Fiber Pad
A 4”
4 x 4”
4 square
of ceramic fiber, it
provides a surface
f hot
for
h t beakers
b k
so
that the beaker
does not come in
contact with a cold
countertop and
shatter.
shatter
Organic Lab Equipment
Florence Flask
The Florence Flask is used for
heating substances that need
to be heated evenly.
evenly The
bulbed bottom allows the heat
to distribute through the
liquid more evenly.
evenly
The Florence Flask is mostly
used in distillation
experiments.
Round Bottom Flask
The round bottom flask
is used as:
boiling flask
reaction flask
distilling flask
collection flask
Vials
Vials are flat-bottomed,
stoppered glass containers.
containers
They come in many sizes
and
d shapes
h
and
d are used
d
to hold small amounts of
liquids or solids.
Vacuum Flask
(Side(Side
-Arm Flask or Filtering Flask)
The vacuum flask
Th
fl k looks
l k like
lik
an Erlenmeyer flask with a
short arm coming
g out of
it. The "arm" is designed
to connect the flask to a
vacuum source.
source
Note the heavy the walls
of
f this
thi flask
fl k - they
th
are
designed to withstand
reduced p
pressure without
imploding.
Buchner Funnel
The Buchner funnel is a white
porcelain funnel.
funnel A grey or
black adaptor or a stopper with
a hole in it is required to
connect it to a vacuum flask.
fl k
The Buchner is used exclusively
y
for vacuum filtrations. The
adaptor forms a snug seal so
that when reduced pressure is
applied to the vacuum flask,
liquid poured into the Buchner is
sucked
k d iinto the
h flask
fl k quickly.
i kl
Separatory Funnel
The separatory funnel is
used primarily in extraction
procedures. The sloping
sides are designed to make
it easy to distinguish
d
h layers.
l
The stopcock-controlled
p
outlet on the bottom is
designed to allow the liquid
to be drained out of the
funnel. A ground glass or
Teflon stopper may be used
to seall the
h top opening.
i
Condenser
(Condensation Tube)
The condenser is used in both reflux and distillation
procedures to cool and condense vapors.
Y-Adaptor
The Y
Th
Y-adaptor
d t iis used
d iin a
distillation set-up:
it holds the thermometer
•it
•the side-arm connects to
the condenser
•it connects the round
bottom flask to both the
therm meter and the
thermometer
condenser
Thermometer Adaptor
The thermometer adaptor consists
of a standard taper joint and a
rubber adaptor.
The standard
Th
t d d ttaper jjoint
i t fit
fits iinto
t
a glassware set-up, while the
rubber adaptor
p
holds a
thermometer snugly.
Claisen Adaptor
The Claisen adaptor is a
multi-purpose item of
standard taper glassware.
It is used in situations
which require more than
one outlet from a round
bottom flask.
flask
Vacuum Adaptor
The vacuum adaptor is used
in a distillation set-up:
it connects to the lower end
of the condensor and serves
to direct the distilled liquid
into the receiving flask
A "bent adaptor" would serve the same purpose in
a simple or fractional distillation. A bent adaptor
does
o s not have
ha the
th connection
conn ct on to a vacuum
acuum sourc
source,,
which is on the right hand side in the above photo.