Laboratory Equipment Identification and Functions

This set of vocabulary flashcards identifies common laboratory equipment, their physical descriptions, and their primary functions as covered in the lecture notes.

Erlenmeyer Flask

Designed for easy stirring and swirling by hand without spilling; not used for measuring as it is only accurate to $5\%$. Often used for titrations.

Florence Flask/Boiling Flask

A container with a round body, long neck, and often a flat bottom; designed for uniform heating, boiling, distillation, and ease of swirling.

Beaker

Used to hold varying volumes of liquid; not used for measuring volumes as it is only accurate to $5\%$. It features a spout for easy pouring.

Volumetric Flask

Measures one specific volume marked by an etched line on the neck. It is designed to be inverted multiple times for mixing solutions and uses a glass stopper.

Test Tube

Used to hold and mix small samples; stirred by tapping the bottom with two fingers. They fit into centrifuges and test tube racks and are often used in qualitative analysis.

Test Tube Rack

Used to hold multiple test tubes upright simultaneously for safety, storage, and ease of transport.

Test Tube Holder

A tool used to hold a test tube in place when the tube is hot or should not be touched.

Test Tube Brush/Spout Brush

A brush used for cleaning test tubes and narrow-mouth laboratory glassware including graduated cylinders, burettes, and Erlenmeyer flasks.

Vial with Cap

Used to hold small portions of liquid or solid samples. It is recommended to label the cap for easier reading, provided the cap is not separated from the vial.

Graduated Cylinder

Used for measuring many different volumes. Accuracy is achieved by carefully reading the meniscus.

Meniscus

A curve in the surface of a molecular substance, such as water, when it touches another material.

Burette

Used for titrations or dispensing specific volumes of liquids. It features a stop cock that is open when parallel and closed when perpendicular.

Glass Funnel

Used to aide in the transfer of liquids; requires care to avoid adding more liquid than intended.

Watch Glass

Used to evaporate a liquid, heat small portions of a substance, or cover beakers containing $\text{NaOH}$ to avoid reaction with $\text{CO}_2$ in the atmosphere.

Petri Dish

A shallow transparent lidded dish used by biologists to hold growth medium for culturing cells of bacteria, fungi, and small mosses.

Disposable Pipette

Used to transfer small amounts of liquids, often in qualitative analysis. Drops can be counted for small measurements, though this method is not very accurate.

Pipette and Aspirator

Devices that aspirate and discharge liquid by volumetric displacement of air through the vertical movement of an internal piston.

Alcohol Lamp/Alcohol Burner

Used to produce an open flame; preferred over Bunsen burners for safety or in labs where natural gas is unavailable.

Tripod Stand

A three-legged platform, usually made of stainless steel or aluminum, used to support flasks and beakers.

Wire Gauze

Often placed on top of a tripod to provide a flat base for glassware.

Ceramic Mortar and Pestle

Used to crush solid chemicals into smaller pieces or fine powder to make them easier to dissolve into solvents.

Centrifuge

A device that uses centrifugal force to separate various components of a fluid by spinning it at high speed to separate fluids of different densities or liquids from solids.

Reagent Bottles

Also known as Media Bottles or Graduated Bottles; they contain chemicals in liquid or powder form and are stored in cabinets or on shelves.

Evaporating Dish

Used to evaporate excess solvents—most commonly water—to produce a concentrated solution or a solid precipitate.

Stirring Rod

A tool used for mixing liquids, or mixing solids and liquids.

Laboratory Thermometer

Used to measure temperatures or temperature changes with high precision. It contains liquids like pure ethanol, toluene, kerosene, or isoamyl acetate.

Electronic Scale/Electronic Balance

A precision instrument using sensors to accurately measure the mass of chemicals; provides faster response times and built-in calibration compared to mechanical scales.

Triple Beam Balance

Measures the mass of an object by comparing its weight to known standard weights, providing accuracy in grams.