Laboratory Apparatus and Safety Precautions

Vocabulary flashcards covering chemical laboratory equipment and safety precautions.

Beaker

Holds solids or liquids that will not release gases when reacted or are unlikely to splatter if stirred or heated.

Beaker Tongs

Used to move beakers containing hot liquids.

Erlenmeyer Flask

Holds solids or liquids that may release gases during a reaction or that are likely to splatter if stirred or heated.

Florence Flask

Rarely used in first year chemistry, it is used for the mixing of chemicals; its narrow neck prevents splash exposure.

Graduated Cylinder

Used to measure volumes of liquids.

Test Tubes

Glass tubes used for holding liquids and reactions, common sizes include $13 \times 100\,\text{mm}$, $10 \times 75\,\text{mm}$, and ignition tubes.

Test Tube Holder

Useful for holding a test tube which is too hot to handle.

Test Tube Brushes

Used to clean test tubes and graduated cylinders; forcing a large brush into a small test tube will often break the tube.

Test Tube Racks

Used for holding and organizing test tubes on the laboratory counter; test tubes are flipped over on wooden pegs to dry after washing.

Rubber Stoppers

Used to close containers to avoid spillage or contamination; containers should never be heated when a stopper is in place.

Spot Plates

Used when performing many small scale reactions at one time.

Glass Stir Rod

Used to manually stir solutions or transfer a single drop of a solution.

Forceps

Tweezers used to pick up small objects.

Funnel

Used to aid in the transfer of liquid from one vessel to another.

Watch Glass

Used to hold a small amount of solid, such as the product of a reaction.

Wash Bottle

Has a spout that delivers a wash solution to a specific area; distilled water is the only liquid that should be used in it.

Weighing Boat

Used to weigh solids that will be transferred to another vessel.

Bunsen Burner

Used for the heating of nonvolatile liquids and solids.

Strikers

Used to light Bunsen burners; contain expensive flints that should not be operated repeatedly just to see sparks.

Evaporating Dish

Used for the heating of stable solid compounds and elements.

Crucible

Used for heating certain solids, particularly metals, to very high temperatures.

Clay Triangle

Used as a support for porcelain crucibles when being heated over a Bunsen burner.

Crucible Tongs

Used for handling hot crucibles and picking up other hot objects, but NOT to be used for picking up beakers.

Ringstand

Provides a safe and convenient way to perform reactions that require heating using a Bunsen burner.

Utility Clamps

Used to secure test tubes, distillation columns, and burets to the ringstand.

Iron Ring

Connects to a ringstand and provides a stable, elevated platform for reactions.

Wire Gauze

Sits on the iron ring to provide a place to stand a beaker.

Double Buret Clamps

Used to hold burets, which are long graduated tubes used in titration.

Triangular File

Used primarily to cut glass rod.

Litmus Paper

Indicator paper where red litmus paper is used to identify bases and blue litmus paper is used to identify acids.

Gas Collecting Bottle

Used when large volumes of gases are produced and must be collected by the displacement of water.

Medicine Dropper

Used to transfer a small volume of liquid (less than one mL), featuring a rubber bulb on top.

Mohr Pipet

Measures and delivers exact volumes of liquids.

Glass Plates

Provide a surface for semi-micro scale experiments, such as drop reactions and testing of acids and bases.

Spatulas

Used to dispense solid chemicals from their containers; chemicals should never be transferred with bare hands.

Test Tube Heating Position

When heating liquid in a test tube, hold it in a slanting position (about $37^{\circ}$ from the vertical position) and never towards anybody.

Acid Dilution Rule

To dilute an acid, always add the acid to the water, NOT the water to the acid.