Common Laboratory Apparatus and Their

Functions
Apparatus Name Function
Test Tube is a thin glass tube
closed at one end, used to hold
small amounts of material for
laboratory testing or experiments.
The test tube is one of the most
commonly used pieces of laboratory
ware. Test tubes are widely used by
chemists to hold, mix, or heat small
quantities of solid or liquid
Test Tube chemicals, especially for qualitative
experiments and assays.
Beaker is a simple container for
stirring, mixing and heating liquids
commonly used in many
laboratories. Beakers are generally
cylindrical in shape, with a flat
bottom. Most also have a small
spout (or "beak") to aid pouring as
Beaker shown in the picture.

Evaporating Dish is a piece of

laboratory glassware used for the
evaporation of solutions and
supernatant liquids, and
sometimes to their melting point.
Evaporating Dish

Alcohol Burner/Lamp is a piece of

laboratory equipment used to
produce an open flame. It can be
made from either aluminum or
glass.

Alcohol Burner/Lamp
 Bunsen Burner is a common piece
of laboratory equipment that
produces a single open gas flame,
which is used for heating,
sterilization, and combustion. The
gas can be natural gas (which is
mainly methane) or a liquefied
Bunsen Burner petroleum gas, such as propane,
butane, or a mixture of both.
Triple Beam Balance is used to
measure masses very precisely; the
reading error is 0.05 gram. With the
pan empty, move the three sliders
on the three beams to their leftmost
positions, so that the balance reads
Triple Beam Balance zero.
Glass Rod, Stirring Rod or Stir
Rod is a piece of laboratory
equipment used to mix chemicals
and liquids for laboratory purposes.
They are usually made of solid glass,
about the thickness and slightly
longer than a drinking straw, with
Stirring Rod rounded ends.
Graduated Cylinder, Measuring
Cylinder or Mixing Cylinder is a
common piece of laboratory
equipment used to measure the
volume of a liquid. It has a narrow
cylindrical shape. Each marked
line on the graduated cylinder
represents the amount of liquid
Graduated Cylinder
that has been measured.

Erlenmeyer flasks are used to

contain liquids and for mixing,
heating, cooling, incubation,
filtration, storage, and other liquid-
handling processes. Their slanted
sides and narrow necks allow the
contents to be mixed by swirling
Erlenmeyer Flasks without the risk of spills, which is
 useful for titrations and for boiling
liquids.

The acid burette is used to

measuring the liquid that will
erode the rubber tube.

Acid Burette

The base burette is used to

dispense an alkaline liquid
into a solution providing an
excess of hydroxide (OH).

Base Burette
Dropper, is a device used to
transfer small quantities of
liquids. They are used in the
laboratory and also to
dispense small amounts of
Medicine Dropper
liquid medicines.
Wire Gauze is a sheet of thin
metal that has netlike patterns or
a wire mesh. Wire gauze is placed
on the support ring that is
attached to the retort stand
between the Bunsen burner and
the glassware to support the
Wire Gauze beakers, flasks, or other glassware
during heating.
 Ring Stand is used to support
laboratory equipment above the
work surface.

Iron/Ring Stand

Iron Clamp is an item of

laboratory equipment which
comprises a conjoined metal ring
and radially-extending rod. In
some cases, the rod terminates in
a screw clamp for attachment to a
retort stand or other support; in
others, the rod may be attached to
Iron Clamp a stand by means of a laboratory
clamp holder. Iron rings are
commonly used in chemistry
laboratories for supporting
apparatus above the work surface.
Crucible Tongs are tools that can
be used in either a laboratory
setting or an industrial setting. In
both cases, the tongs are used to
safely move a piece of equipment
called a crucible that contains
potentially dangerous materials
Crucible Tongs that must be handled very
carefully.
A meter stick is exactly one
meter long and is a very useful
instrument in science. You can
use a meter stick to measure
Meter Stick
objects and lengths less than a
meter and more than a meter.
 Watch Glass is a circular concave
piece of glass used in chemistry as
a surface to evaporate a liquid, to
hold solids while being weighed, as
a cover for a beaker, and for
heating a small amount of
substance.
Watch Glass

Water Bath is laboratory

equipment made from a container
filled with heated water. It is used
to incubate samples in water at a
constant temperature over a long
Water Bath
period of time.

Thermometer is a device that

measures temperature or a
temperature gradient.

Thermometer

Clay Triangle is a piece of

laboratory equipment used in the
process of heating substances by a
Bunsen burner (e.g. to support a
crucible when it’s being heated).
Clay Triangle
Cork, also known as a stopper or
bung, is partially inserted inside of
a container to form a seal.
Commonly used in laboratories
because of their impermeability
and general absence of toxic
Cork elements, cork is a useful
material to stop test tubes and
flasks.
 Reagent Bottles, also known as
media bottles or graduated bottles,
are intended to contain chemicals
in liquid or powder form for
Reagent Bottles laboratories.

Funnel is a tube or pipe that is

wide at the top and narrow at the
bottom, used for guiding liquid or
powder into a small opening.
Funnel

Test Tube Holder can be made

from wood or metal. It is used for
holding a test tube in place when
the tube is hot or should not be
touched. For example, a test tube
holder can be used to hold a test
tube while it is being heated.
Test Tube Holder

Test Tube Rack is a laboratory

equipment that is used to hold
upright multiple test tubes at the
same time.
Test Tube Rack

Crucible is a container that can

withstand very high temperatures
and is used for metal, glass, and
pigment production.
Crucible

A Florence flask is also commonly

called a boiling flask. It is designed
to heat liquids, but could also be
used to just hold liquids or
reactions.
Florence Flask
 Volumetric Flask is a piece of
laboratory glassware, a type of
laboratory flask, calibrated to
contain a precise volume at a
particular temperature. Volumetric
flasks are used for precise
dilutions and preparation of
standard solutions. These flasks
are usually pear-shaped, with a
Volumetric Flask flat bottom, and made of glass or
plastic.