The Bunsen or Tirril burner are gas burners which provide sufficient flexibility for most

heating operations in the laboratory.

These safely burn a continuous stream of a flammable gas such as natural gas (which is
principally methane) or a liquefied petroleum gas such as propane, butane, or a mixture
of both.

The burning of the gaseous fuel is illustrated by the following chemical reactions:
Complete Combustion : C4H10 + O2 🡪 CO2 + H2O

Incomplete Combustion: C4H10 + O2 🡪 CO2 + CO + C+ H2O

The three principal parts of the burner are barrel/burner tube, air hole, and base. The
quantity of gas admitted to the burner can be adjusted by the gas control valve, while the
air needed for combustion is admitted at the small opening around the bottom of the
barrel. The air is controlled by turning the collar so as to make the air hole larger or
smaller.

Combustion occurs in the barrel. In complete combustion, the fuel burns in abundant
amount of oxygen, producing carbon dioxide, water and heat. Incomplete combustion
occurs when there is not enough oxygen to allow the fuel to react completely to produce
carbon dioxide and water, hence along with carbon dioxide and water, unburned carbon
and carbon monoxide are also formed.

There are three types of laboratory burners: the Bunsen burner (Figure 1), the Tirrill
burner (Figure 2) and the Meker burner. The Tirrill and Meker burners have air and gas
adjustments, while the Bunsen burner only has an air adjustment.

There are basic techniques in working with glass tubings.

Glass tubes are cut to the desired length and bent to the desired shape for specific
laboratory use. Micropipets, capillary tubes, percolator cups, and glass connectors are
some of the devices made by cutting and heating glass tubes.

Necessary precautions are to be observed in order to avoid cuts and burns.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the activity, the students should be able to:
1. use the burners with ease and confidence;
2. write a balanced combustion reaction; and
3. develop skill in working with glass tubings.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Bunsen burner evaporating dish Tirrill burner

crucible tong wire gauze/ceramic pad ** cardboard
glass tubings rubber tubing **match
coconut oil /glycerine tap water **pencil
cork , big wing top/fish tail **ruler
cork borer triangular file ** hand
towel

** To be brought by the students

Figure 1 Figure 2

PROCEDURES
A. USING THE BUNSEN BURNER
Caution: DO NOT LEAN TOWARDS THE BURNER WHEN LIGHTING IT.
1. Connect the rubber tubing of the burner to the gas outlet/cock.
2. Close the air hole/vent by rotating the collar.
3. Bring a lighted matchstick at least one centimeter from below the tip of the burner
tube and immediately open the gas cock/gas outlet. Observe the color of the flame
produced.
4. Hold an evaporating dish with a crucible tong and place it over the flame. Describe
the result.
5. Open the air hole little by little until a change in color of the flame is observed.
6. Control the height of the flame to two or three centimeters by adjusting the knob of
the gas cock. Expose a clean portion of the evaporating dish to this kind of flame and
observe.
7. Carefully place a piece of moist
cardboard vertically over the
flame for about 30 seconds.
(See Figure 3)
8. Observe the cardboard
carefully and determine the
coolest and hottest portions of
the flame by the degree of
burning that happened to it.