Organic Chemistry at CU Boulder
Glassware and Equipment
At the start of the semester, each student in the organic labs checks out a drawer. This drawer
and its contents become the student's responsibility until the end of the semester. All of the items
in the drawers are listed below; each image links to a description of the glassware or equipment.
The checklists for drawers and the prices for replacing broken glassware are linked here. These
documents are also posted on the bulletin board in each lab.
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Checklist for drawers used in OChem
Prices for replacing broken glassware
Distillation and Reaction Glassware
Glassware used for distillation, reflux, and other organic chemistry laboratory procedures fits
together due to the ground glass joints incorporated into each piece of glassware. This type of
glassware connection is called "standard taper" joints. They come in different sizes: the larger the
number, the larger the size. The organic teaching labs use 14/20 size standard taper. Floating
around the labs from past years or for special procedures are also 24/40 and 19/22 sized standard
taper glassware.
Standard taper glassware is more expensive than common glassware such as beakers and
erlenmeyer flasks. One reason is that this glassware must be carefully machined so that each
piece of glassware produced by each manufacturer must fit each and other standard taper joint of
the same size, whereever and whenever it is made. Another reason is that each piece of glassware
must be strong enough not to implode under reduced pressure and not break under high heat.
Standard taper glassware, especially round bottom flasks, are susceptible to star cracks. These
are tiny, radiating defaults in the glassware. Before setting up a reaction, carefully check your
glassware for star cracks. To prevent star cracks, always handle the glassware carefully.
Round-bottom flask Y-adaptor
Vacuum adaptor
Condenser
Thermometer adaptor Claisen adaptor
Bench Glassware
This glassware is generally less expensive than the reaction glassware listed above, due to the
absence of ground-glass joints (the separatory funnel is an exception). It is generally used for
measuring, storing and working up the reaction, rather than performing the reaction itself.
Beaker
Erlenmeyer flask Side-arm flask
Buchner funnels Stemmed funnels Separatory funnel
Thermometer
Watch glass
Graduated cylinder
Stir rod
Vial
Crystallizing dish
Pasteur Pipet
Bench Equipment
This equipment is used to support the reaction apparatus or manipulate the contents. All of these
items can be replaced at any time for free.
Versatile clamp 3-pronged clamp Ring clamp
Spatula
Scoopula
Keck clip
Stir bar
Forceps
Community Equipment
This equipment does not belong in the lab drawers but should be left out for everyone to use.
Each student fume hood should contain a heating mantle, stir motor, variac and ring stand. There
are extras of all of these in the back of the room. The tubing is located on the shelves in the back
of the room.
Heating mantle Stir motor
Variac
Stirring Hotplate Ring stand
Tubing
Original content © University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry. The information on these pages is available for academic use without restriction.
This page was last updated on May 20, 2015.