Laboratory Apparatus, Equipment and Techniques
COMMON LABORATORY APPARATUS
Test tube
-also known as a sample tube
-common piece of laboratory
glassware, consists of
finger-like length of glass
Beakers
-used as containers.
-available in a variety of sizes.
-although they often possess
volume markings, these are
only rough estimates of the
liquid volume.
-the markings are not
necessarily accurate.
Erlenmeyer flask
-used as reaction vessels,
particularly in titrations.
ps. the volume markings should
not be considered accurate.
Volumetric flask
-used to measure and store
solutions with a high degree of
accuracy. These flasks
generally possess a marking
near the top that indicates the
level at which the volume of
the liquid is equal to the
volume written on the outside
of the flask. These devices are
often used when solutions
containing dissolved solids of
known concentration are
needed.
Graduated cylinder
-used to transfer liquids with a
moderate degree of accuracy.
Pipette
-used for transferring liquids
with a fixed volume and
quantity of liquid must be
known to a high degree of
accuracy.
Graduated pipette
-calibrated in the factory to
release the desired
quantity of liquid
Aspirator
-used to suck fluids such as
water and wet chemicals out of
a dry container like bottles,
dishes, or teacups.
-used suction to remove the
liquid by enveloping the inside
surface so all the air is
eliminated and then releasing
it.
Disposable pipette
-made of plastic and are useful
for transferring liquids
dropwise.
Burette
used typically in analytical,
quantitative chemistry
applications for measuring
liquid solution. Differing from
a pipette since the sample
quantity delivered is
changeable, graduated Burettes
are used heavily in titration
experiments.
Burette and Pipettes
is common to measure the
volume delivered.
This means that two volume
measurements will be made.
The volume delivered is the
difference in these two
volumes, Vfinal - Vinitial.
Burette clamp
scientific equipment which
used specifically to hold and
secure a burette on a stand, so
that a burette is fixed and more
convenient for the experiment.
Burette clamp can be made by
many materials such as plastic
and cast iron. However, iron
clamp with rubber knob to hold
burette are likely to be more
durable. Usually Burette clamp
comes in double, which means
it can hold two burettes.
Funnel
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.
Buchner Funnel
-used in filtration. It is
traditionally made of porcelain,
but glass and plastic funnels
are also available. On top of the
funnel-shaped part there is a
cylinder with a fritted glass
disc/perforated plate
separating it from the funnel.
Buchner funnel vacuum
filtration setup
-the standard technique used
for separating a solid-liquid
mixture when the goal is to
retain the solid (for example in
crystallization).
-similar to gravity filtration, a
solid-liquid mixture is poured
onto a filter paper, with the
main difference being that the
process is aided by suction
beneath the funnel.
Clamp
-used to hold round laboratory
glassware, such as a beaker,
and flasks, etc. This type of
clamp is made from stainless
steel.
Test tube brush
-used for cleaning test tubes
and narrow mouth laboratory
glassware, such as graduated
cylinders, burettes, and
Erlenmeyer flasks.
Test tube holder
-used to hold test tubes.
Test tube stand
-used to hold upright multiple
test tubes at the same time.
Bunsen burner
A small adjustable gas burner
used in laboratories as a source
of heat.
Petri dish
A petri dish is a small dish
shaped like a cylinder.
Glass rod
-used to mix chemicals and
liquids for laboratory purposes.
Graduated Dropper
A dropper or Pasteur pipette is
an instrument used to transfer
small quantities of liquid.
Tongs
Tongs are a type of tool used to
grip and lift objects instead of
holding them directly with
hands.
Utility clamp
A utility clamp is a laboratory
apparatus resembling a pair of
scissors. The screw in the
middle works as the wide
adjustment of 2-
prong. It is composed of 3
parts: 2-prong adjust, metal
rod,
and clamp down (attach the
clamp to the ring stand for
adjust the
height).
Spot test plate
-also called a reaction plate is a
laboratory tool made either
from ceramics.
Tripod for Bunsen burner
-a three-legged platform used
to support flasks
and beakers.
Wash Bottle
-a squeeze bottle with a nozzle
-used to rinse various pieces
of laboratory glassware, such
as test tubes and round bottom
flasks. Wash bottles are sealed
with a screw-top lid.
Wire Mesh Gauze (Ceramic
Centre)
-used for uniform distribution
of flame heat in base of a
heated body. It is made of iron
wire strands with or without
ceramic interior cores.
Spatula Filtering flask
-used for scraping, -a piece of labware used to
transferring, or applying separate solids from fluids in
powders and paste like filtration operations. To filter
chemicals or treatments. substances, the flask is used
with a filtering funnel, such as
a Buchner funnel, which
incorporates a fritted glass disc
Round-bottom flasks or perforated plate fitted with a
Round-bottom flasks (also piece of filter paper to filter
called round-bottomed flasks particles.
or RB flasks) are types of flasks
having spherical bottoms used
as laboratory glassware, mostly
for chemical or biochemical
work. Watch glass
-a circular concave piece of
glass used in chemistry as a
Glass Condenser surface to evaporate a liquid,
-used to condense (change the to hold solids while being
physical state of a substance weighed, for heating a small
from its gaseous to its liquid amount of substance and as a
state). In the laboratory, cover for a beaker. The latter
condensers are generally used use is generally applied to
in procedures involving prevent dust or other
organic liquids brought into particles entering the beaker;
the gaseous state the watch glass does not
through heating, with or completely seal the beaker, so
without lowering the pressure gas exchanges still occur.
(applying vacuum)—though
applications in inorganic and Fusion tube
other chemistry -used much in the same way as
areas exist. boiling tubes expect not being
as large and thick walled. A
Filter paper fusion tube made of thinner
-a semi-permeable paper glass because it is intended to
barrier placed perpendicular be broken into a container of
to a liquid or air flow. It is used water at the end of the fusion
to separate fine substances tube.
from liquids or air. It is used in
science labs to remove solids
Mortar and pestle
from liquids.
-are implements used since
ancient times to prepare
Separatory funnel ingredients or substances by
A separatory funnel, also crushing and grinding them
known as a separation funnel, into a fine paste or powder in
separating funnel, or the laboratory.
colloquially sep funnel, is a
piece of laboratory glassware
used in liquid-liquid
extractions to separate
(partition) the components of a
mixture into two immiscible
solvent phases of different
densities.
Reagent bottle
-also known as media bottles
or graduated bottles, are
containers made of glass,
plastic, borosilicate or related
substances, and topped by
special caps or stoppers and
are intended to contain
chemicals in liquid or powder
form for laboratories and
stored in cabinets or on
shelves.
Litmus and pH paper
-contains a chemical that
changes color as it makes
contact with an acid or base.
The paper will turn red in acids
and blue in bases.
Sample containers
-for storing chemicals solid
samples. Very useful for
transport purposes as it allows
leak proof and airtight closures.
Desiccator
-sealable enclosures containing
desiccants used for preserving
moisture-sensitive chemicals.
A common use for desiccators
is to protect chemicals which
are hygroscopic or which react
with water from humidity.
Crucible
-a ceramic or metal container
in which metals or other
substances may be melted or
subjected to very high
temperatures.
Kipp's apparatus
-for producing a gas, usually
hydrogen sulphide, by the
action of a liquid on a solid
without heating.
Mechanical Shaker
-used to mix, blend, or agitate
substances in a bottle or flask
by shaking them.
Digital Balance
-the digital mass balances in
the General Chemistry labs are
very sensitive instruments used
for weighing substances to the
milligram (0.001 g) level. Please
treat them with care. Use
containers when weighing
chemicals and always weigh
objects at room temperature.
Keep the draft shields closed.
Do not jar the instruments or
change the levels. Always clean
the area around the pan with a
sable brush after use and
inform the lab staff if any
liquids or solids spill onto the
balance.
Magnetic Stirrer
-a device widely used in
laboratories and consists of a
rotating magnet or a stationary
electromagnet that creates a
rotating magnetic field. This
device is used to make a stir
bar, immerse in a liquid, quickly
spin, or stirring or mixing a
solution.
Water bath
-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 period of time.
Vacuum Pump
It can evacuate chemically
aggressive gases and vapors.
Digital Colorimeter
-a light-sensitive device used
for measuring the
transmittance and absorbance
of light passing through a liquid
sample. The device measures
the intensity or concentration
of the color that develops upon
introducing a specific reagent
into a solution.
Digital Conductometer
A conductivity meter measures
the electrical conductivity in a
solution. It has multiple
applications in research and
engineering.
Digital pH meter
-a scientific instrument that
measures the hydrogen-ion
activity in water-based
solutions, indicating its acidity
or alkalinity expressed as pH.
Digital Potentiometer
-for measuring voltage by
comparison of an unknown
voltage with a known reference
voltage.
-if a sensitive indicating
instrument is used, very little
current is drawn from the
source of the unknown voltage.
Since the reference voltage can
be produced from an
accurately calibrated voltage
divider, a potentiometer can
provide high precision in
measurement.
Clay Triangles
-are placed on a ring attached
to a ring stand as a support for
a funnel, crucible, or
evaporating dish.
Hot Plates
-can also be used as sources of
heat when an open flame is not
desirable.
Ring stand with Rings
-are for holding pieces of
glassware in place.
LABORATORY EQUIPMENTS
Balances
-are used to determine
the mass of a reagent or
object.
Spectrophotometers
-are used to measure the
absorbance or
transmittance of a liquid
sample.
Fume Hoods
-are used to ventilate
noxious or harmful gases.
LABORATORY TECHNIQUES
Reading a Meniscus
In all volumetric glassware (pipet, buret,
volumetric flasks, graduated cylinder, etc.),
it is necessary to read the level of a liquid. A
liquid in a small-diameter container will
form a meniscus or curve at the surface of
the liquid. Usually this meniscus curves
downward to a minimum at the center. To
read the level of the liquid properly, the eye
should be at the same level as the bottom of
the meniscus. Sometimes a white card or a
white card with a black mark on it will help
a person to see the meniscus clearly. For
volumetric flasks and transfer pipets, the
volume of the glassware is exact when the
bottom of the meniscus is even with the
etched line. In a
graduated cylinder or a
buret, the volume is
read from the
graduations etched on
the glass. To read the
volume correctly,
visualize the distance
between the tenths of
milliliter marks as
divided into ten equal
amounts. The volume is
then found by reading the number of tenths
of milliliters and estimating hundredths of
milliliters.
Care of Reagents
The reagents used by all of the students can
be contaminated by one careless student.
Never put anything back into the reagent
bottle. A certain amount of liquid can be
obtained in several ways. 1) Pour from the
reagent bottle into a beaker and draw up
the liquid into a pipet from the beaker.
2) Pour from the beaker into a graduated
cylinder to within 0.1 ml of the desired
amount, adding the last drop with an
eyedropper filled from a beaker. Only use
appropriately labeled spatulas for each
reagent bottle. Pour the solid into a beaker,
onto weighing paper, or into a weigh boat.
Never pour excess back into the bottle.
Reagents are to remain on the plastic on
the center bench. This will 1)prevent spills
and accidents from occurring at your work
area, 2)save time for everyone because all of
the chemicals will be relatively easy to find
in a central location, and 3)make clean-up
easier if a spill does occur. When you are
finished using a chemical, replace the lid! A
mix-up of lids could also contaminate an
expensive chemical.
Titration
Titration allows one to
determine the endpoint
of a reaction and the
quantity of reactant
used to achieve it.
Titration generally
involves a buret (to
deliver precise amounts
of the titrant) and a
flask (generally an
Erlenmeyer flask)
containing the solution.
An indicator that changes color is used to
determine when the equivalency point has
been crossed once sufficient quantity of the
titrant has been added. Sometimes, a pH
meter will be used to detect the endpoint
rather than an indicator.
Using a Bunsen Burner
Lighting the Bunsen burner - Make sure
the rubber tubing is connected to the
Bunsen burner and the gas jet. Turn the gas
valve until it is parallel to the gas jet. You
should be able to hear the gas flow. Use a
flint striker to cause a spark and ignite the
gas.
Adjusting the Bunsen burner - First, adjust
the height of the flame using the gas valve
at the bottom of the burner. For a clean
burning flame, more air is required than is
available from the gas exhaust. The air vents
can be adjusted to produce an inner blue
cone in the flame with no yellow tip. Too
little air produces a sooty, orange-yellow
tipped flame that is quite noisy. Too much
air supply may cause the flame to separate
from the burner and even blow itself out.
The ideal working flame is bluish-green
with a light blue cone and it
burns quietly.
Crystallization
the process of formation of solid crystals
from solution, melt or by deposition
directly from a gas phase.
 Filtration‍ Centrifugation‍

Filtration is used to separate solids from Centrifugation is used to separate solids

liquids in a mixture. In some cases, pouring
the solution through filter paper set in a
Buchner funnel over a flask. To filter more
effectively, a filter flask is used in
combination with a vacuum outlet to
effectively suck the liquid solution through
the filter paper (vacuum filtration). After
successful filtration, the solid is left behind
on top of the filter paper while the liquid
collects in the flask below.
and liquids in heterogeneous mixtures.
Successful separation results in the solid
portion (pellet) at the bottom of the
centrifuge tube and the liquid portion
(supernatant) above it. When using a
centrifuge, it is important that it remains
balanced at all times – any tube being spun
should have one of equal volume placed in
the opposite slot.

Distillation‍

Separates miscible liquids (mix together

well) according to differences in boiling
points. Often uses a piece of equipment
Extraction‍ known as a condenser.

Separates two liquids that don't mix very

well due to a difference in polarity, i.e.
separating water-soluble (polar) liquids
from nonpolar ones. This procedure uses an
instrument known as a separatory funnel.

Decantation‍

Separates liquids from solids by pouring the

Calorimetry ‍
liquid carefully off the top of a container.

Calorimetry is used to measure the change

in heat (released or absorbed) during a
chemical reaction. In chemistry labs, the
setup for calorimetry generally consists of a
Styrofoam cup with a sealed lid and hole for
thermometer to measure the change in
temperature during the reaction.