Common Chemistry Laboratory Apparatus and Equipment

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering common laboratory apparatus, glassware, and scientific equipment based on the lecture notes.

Test tube

A common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top and closed at the bottom.

Beakers

Containers used in the laboratory that come in various sizes; volume markings on them are only rough estimates and are not necessarily accurate.

Erlenmeyer flask

Flasks often used as reaction vessels, particularly in titrations, with volume markings that should not be considered accurate.

Volumetric flask

A device used to measure and store solutions with a high degree of accuracy, featuring a marking near the top to indicate a specific volume.

Graduated cylinder

A laboratory tool used to transfer liquids with a moderate degree of accuracy.

Pipette

A tool used for transferring a fixed volume of liquid when the quantity must be known to a high degree of accuracy.

Graduated pipette

Pipettes calibrated in the factory to release the desired quantity of liquid.

Disposable pipette

Plastic Pipettes useful for transferring liquids dropwise.

Burette

A device used typically in analytical, quantitative chemistry for measuring liquid solution where the sample quantity delivered is changeable.

Volume delivered

The difference between two volume measurements in a burette or pipette, calculated as $V_{final} - V_{initial}$.

Burette clamp

Scientific equipment used specifically to hold and secure a burette on a stand; may be made of plastic or cast iron.

Funnel

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

Buchner Funnel

A piece of laboratory equipment used in filtration, consisting of a cylinder with a fritted glass disc or perforated plate.

Suction filtration (vacuum filtration)

The standard technique used for separating a solid-liquid mixture to retain the solid, aided by suction beneath the funnel.

Clamp

A stainless steel tool used to hold round laboratory glassware such as beakers and flasks.

Test tube brush

A brush used for cleaning test tubes and narrow mouth laboratory glassware like graduated cylinders and burettes.

Test tube holder

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

Test tube stand

A rack used to hold multiple test tubes upright at the same time.

Bunsen burner

A small adjustable gas burner used in laboratories as a source of heat.

Alcohol Lamp

A heating source used when natural gas is unavailable, with a flame limited to approximately $5\,cm$ ($2\,inches$) in height.

Petri dish

A small laboratory dish shaped like a cylinder.

Glass Stirring rod

A piece of solid glass equipment, slightly longer than a drinking straw with rounded ends, used to mix chemicals and liquids.

Graduated Dropper

Also known as a Pasteur pipette, it is an instrument used to transfer small quantities of liquid.

Tongs

A type of tool used to grip and lift objects instead of holding them directly with hands.

Utility clamp

A laboratory apparatus resembling a pair of scissors with a 2-prong adjust, metal rod, and clamp down for attaching to a ring stand.

Spot test plate

Also called a reaction plate, it is a laboratory tool made from ceramics.

Tripod

A three-legged platform used to support flasks and beakers.

Wash Bottle

A squeeze bottle with a nozzle used to rinse laboratory glassware; sealed with a screw-top lid.

Wire Mesh Gauze (Ceramic Centre)

Used for uniform distribution of flame heat at the base of a heated body, made of iron wire strands.

Spatula

Small stainless steel utensils used for scraping, transferring, or applying powders and paste-like chemicals.

Round-bottom flasks

Type of flasks having spherical bottoms used mostly for chemical or biochemical work.

Glass Condenser

An apparatus used to change the physical state of a substance from its gaseous to its liquid state.

Filter paper

A semi-permeable paper barrier used to remove solids from liquids or air.

Separatory funnel

Glassware used in liquid-liquid extractions to separate components of a mixture into two immiscible solvent phases of different densities.

Filtering flask

A piece of labware used with a filtering funnel to separate solids from fluids in filtration operations.

Watch glass

A circular concave piece of glass used to evaporate liquid, hold solids for weighing, or as a beaker cover.

Fusion tube

A thin-walled laboratory tube intended to be broken into a container of water at the end of use.

Mortar and pestle

Implements used for crushing and grinding substances into a fine paste or powder.

Reagent bottle

Containers made of glass or plastic used to contain chemicals in liquid or powder form, topped by special caps or stoppers.

Litmus and pH paper

Paper containing a chemical that turns red in acids and blue in bases.

Sample containers

Closures used for storing and transporting solid chemical samples in a leak-proof and airtight manner.

Desiccator

Sealable enclosures containing desiccants used for preserving moisture-sensitive or hygroscopic chemicals.

Crucible

A ceramic or metal container used to melt substances or subject them to very high temperatures.

Mechanical Shaker

Equipment used to mix, blend, or agitate substances in a bottle or flask by shaking them.

Analytical Digital Balance

A sensitive instrument used for weighing substances to the milligram ($0.001\,g$) level.

Magnetic Stirrer

A device that creates a rotating magnetic field to make a stir bar quickly spin and mix a solution.

Water bath

A container filled with heated water used to incubate samples at a constant temperature over a long period.

Vacuum Pump

A device that can evacuate chemically aggressive gases and vapors.

Digital pH meter

A scientific instrument that measures the hydrogen-ion activity in water-based solutions to indicate acidity or alkalinity.

Centrifuge

Equipment used to separate fluids, gases, or liquids based on density, often used for cell collection or protein purification.

Microscope

An instrument that makes an enlarged image of a small object using visible light focused through lenses.

Fume Hood

A ventilated enclosure that captures and removes gases, vapors, and fumes from the work area.

Iron ring

A tool used to support flasks or funnels upright in a stand for stability during testing.

Iron stand

Also known as a ring stand, it provides support for other equipment and a means of raising it above the work surface.

Florence flask

A flask with a round body, long neck, and flat bottom designed for uniform heating, boiling, and distillation.

Triple beam balance

A balance used to measure masses very precisely with a reading error of $0.05\,gram$.

Digital Laboratory Incubator

Equipment providing a temperature-controlled environment to support the growth of microbiological cultures.

Laboratory Oven

Multi-purpose appliances used for baking, curing, or drying various substances.

Autoclave

A device operating at high temperature and pressure to kill microorganisms and spores for sterilization.

Vernier calipers

An instrument used to measure outer dimensions, inside dimensions, and depths to the nearest $0.02\,mm$.

Blood Collection tube

Tubes containing specific additives like sodium citrate for coagulation studies or silicon coating for clotted blood.