Glossary of Laboratory Equipment Equipment Image Definition Beaker A cylindrical piece of glassware with coarse markings. Used to hold liquids, but should not be used for measurements of volume where precision is needed. Bunsen Burner A metal tube with two valves and an inlet for natural gas. The valve on the base controls the flow rate of gas; the valve on the side controls the amount of oxygen in the gas mixture. Buret(te) A long, thin cylindrical piece of glassware with a stopcock on one end. Used to deliver liquids with very high volumetric precision. Ceramic Square Placed between glassware and a heat source, this allows for more even and gradual heating of glassware and tends to protect the glass from heat damage, especially when a hot flame such as a Bunsen burner is used.
Clamp Used in conjunction with a ring stand to hold equipment in place. A clamp holder screws into both the ring stand and the clamp. Clay Triangle A triangular device made of heat resistant clay. Used to hold crucibles and porcelain dishes heated by a Bunsen burner. Distributes heat evenly over the surface of objects it holds. Coverslip Crucible A thin flat piece of transparent material, usually square or rectangular, about 20 mm (4/5 in) wide and a fraction of a millimetre thick, that is placed over objects for viewing with a microscope. A porcelain dish capable of withstanding extreme heat (e.g., from a Bunsen burner). Used to heat solids to high temperatures. Cover with lid to avoid mass loss. Cuvet(te) A clear, rectangular vessel of glass or plastic used to hold solutions for spectrometry. Don't place its ribbed sides in the light path of the spectrometer.
Dissecting Pins used to pin specimens during a classroom dissection project. Dissecting Probe Dissecting Scissors Used to tease and separate specimens, pin body parts, and explore dissected animals. a pair of scissors that is used in a classroom setting for dissections or in medical and surgical settings. Dissection Tray A tray that provides containment for materials resulting from the dissection process. Dropper Electronic Balance (Scale) A short glass tube with a rubber bulb at one end and a tiny hole at the other, for measuring out drops of medicine or other liquids. A device used to find accurate measurements of weight. It is used very commonly in laborites for weighing chemicals to ensure a precise measurement of those chemicals for use in various experiments.
Evaporating Dish Used to evaporate excess solvents most commonly water to produce a concentrated solution or a solid precipitate of the dissolved substance. Flask, Erlenmeyer Flask, Filtering A tapered flask with an opening thinner than the base and coarse volumetric markings. Erlenmeyers are used to hold liquids but should not be used for measurements of volume where precision is needed. A heavy Erlenmeyer flask with an inlet for vacuum and an opening that fits a Buchner funnel. When connected to vacuum and capped with a Buchner funnel, used to filter mixtures of solids and liquids. Flask, Volumetric A round flask with a long, thin opening bearing one mark. The mark corresponds to the volume indicated on the flask. Used to prepare solutions and measure liquids very precisely.
Forceps (Tweezers) A handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Funnel, Buchner A porcelain or plastic funnel containing many small holes and a rubber stopper around its nozzle. Used in conjunction with a filtering flask to filter mixtures of solids and liquids. Funnel, Buret A funnel containing a relatively thin nozzle that fits into the top of a buret. Used to deliver liquids without making a mess. Funnel, Powder A funnel containing a relatively wide nozzle. Used to deliver solids without making a mess essential in precise preparation of solid liquid solutions. Funnel Support Used to hold funnels for an extended amount of time.
Graduated Cylinder A thin cylinder containing many markings. Used to measure liquids with moderate precision. Hot Hands Glove like sleeve made of a rubbery and thermally insulating polymer. Used to handle hot glassware. Hot Plate A portable self contained tabletop small appliance that features one, two or more electric heating elements or gas burners. Inoculating Loop Also called a smear loop, inoculation wand or microstreaker, is a simple tool used mainly by microbiologists to retrieve an inoculum from a culture of microorganisms. Litmus Paper Paper stained with litmus, used to indicate the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. Blue litmus paper turns red under acid conditions, and red litmus paper turns blue under alkaline conditions.
Magnifying Glass A convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle Micropipettes Used to transfer small amounts (< 1 ml) of liquids. Microscope An optical instrument used for viewing very small objects, such as mineral samples or animal or plant cells, typically magnified several hundred times. Microscope Slide A thin flat piece of glass, typically 75 by 26 mm (3 by 1 inches) and about 1 mm thick, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope.
Petri Dish A shallow cylindrical glass or plastic lidded dish that biologist use to culture cells such as bacteria or small mosses. Pipet Bulb + Pump Pipet, Serological Pipet, Volumetric The pipet bulb is a blue, balloon shaped device made of rubbery polymer that fits onto the end of pipets. Squeeze the bulb and release to draw up liquid. The pipet pump or roller, ever favored by students, is a green cylindrical device made of hard plastic that fits onto the end of pipets. Roll the white wheel to draw up liquid, and push down on the plunger to deliver. A thin cylindrical piece of glass or plastic with a conical nozzle and many markings. Used to deliver liquids with moderate precision. Push out entirety of contents when using. A thin cylindrical piece of glass with a bulb near one end and a single mark. The mark corresponds to the volume indicated on the pipet. Used to deliver liquids with very high precision. Do not push out the last bit of liquid just allow gravity to do its work.
Ring Stand A stand with a wide metal base and a single metal rod. Clamps and clamp holders attach to the rod. Rubber Policeman Rubber Stoppers A wedge shaped piece of rubber with an opening that fits onto the end of a glass stirring rod. Used to fish out goopy solids and other stubborn buggers in the bottom of flasks. Mainly used in chemical laboratory in combination with flasks and test tube Rubber Tubing A flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids or gases from one location to another.
Ruler A straight strip or cylinder of plastic, wood, metal, or other rigid material, typically marked at regular intervals, to draw straight lines or measure distances. Safety Goggles Scalpel Form of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the area surrounding the eye in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. A knife with a small, sharp, sometimes detachable blade, used during laboratory dissections and by surgeons. Scoopula A curved piece of metal in the shape of a half pipe with a tapered end. Used to transfer solids. Don't stick it directly into a solid jar if you're being careful. Stirring Rod A piece of laboratory equipment used to mix chemicals and liquids for laboratory purposes.
Striker A piece of flint held inside a small bowl and attached to a metal piece that can be rapidly slid across the flint to create a spark. Used to light Bunsen burners. Syringe A device consisting of a narrow tube fitted at one end with a rubber bulb or piston by means of which a liquid can be drawn in and then ejected in a stream. Test Tube A tube shaped piece of glass used to hold liquids and solids for observation. Comes in small, medium, and large sizes. Don't fill more than three quarters full if you're being careful. Test Tube Brush a brush used for cleaning test tubes and narrow mouth laboratory glassware such as beakers and flasks.
Test Tube Holder Used for holding a test tube in place when the tube is hot or should not be touched. Test Tube Rack A laboratory equipment that is used to hold upright multiple test tubes at the same time. Thermometer A device that measures temperature or a temperature gradient. Tongs An instrument with two movable arms that are joined at one end, used for picking up and holding things.
Triangular File Triple Beam Balance Tripod Wash Bottle Watch Glass A file that has three tapered sides, which are used to file the internal surfaces of objects with acute angles. Typically used by carpenters to sharpen the teeth of hand saws or to smooth various surfaces. An instrument used to measure mass very precisely. The device has reading error of +/ 0.05 gram. A piece of three legged equipment commonly used to conduct experiments in laboratories. It is used as a platform to hold and support glassware, such as beakers and flasks, during experiments and when the glassware is not in use. A bottle made of flexible plastic with a thin, angled nozzle. Used to hold liquids (usually water) for spraying or delicate delivery. Useful for adding that last bit of liquid during solution preparation in a volumetric flask. A shallow, wide piece of glass used to hold solids for drying or observation. May also be used to cover beakers or Erlenmeyer flasks to minimize evaporative losses.
24 Well Plate A plastic plate containing twenty four cylindrical valleys. Used to hold and compare many mixtures. Wire Gauze A "blanket" of criss crossing wires placed on top of a ring and used to hold a vessel such as a crucible or porcelain dish.