Beakers, flasks, and test tubes are not the only names for chemistry glassware. There are far more unique types than the average person may know. If you work in or need to stock a chemistry lab, these are all important to understand.
This article will go over a good number of these types, so keep reading.
Beakers
Lab beakers usually have a cylinder-like shape, a flat bottom, and a spout or beak near the top. Manufacturers make these out of glass, metal, and certain plastics.
Manufactures also mark beakers on their sides with volume measurements like liters. This is useful because experts often use beakers for measuring volumes of chemicals. Their wide openings also make them useful for mixing different materials.
These laboratory essentials also come in many shapes and sizes. These include the following types.
Griffin Form/Low-Form
These are cylinders with a height of around 1.4 times their diameter. Scientists use these in most experiments.
Berzelius/Tall-Form
These have a height that is around twice their diameters. Scientists use these in titration.
Flat Beaker
These resemble more of a tub than a cylinder. Scientists use these for crystallization or hot bath heating.
Flasks
Lab flasks consist of a wider ‘body’ below and a thinner ‘neck’ at the top. Chemists use these for a wide variety of laboratory applications. These include measuring samples, making solutions, and heating or cooling chemicals.
Flasks usually have specific applications based on their shapes. Some illustrations of such types are listed below.
Erlenmeyer Flasks
These are very popular cone-shaped flasks. Scientists use them for boiling liquids and recrystallization.
Round Bottom Flasks
These have spherical bodies and long necks. Scientists use them for containing chemical reactions and distillation.
Volumetric Flasks
These pear-shaped flasks often have long necks. Scientists use them for preparing solutions
Test Tubes
Test tubes are a piece of thin tubing that is open at one end and closed at the other. They are usually not much wider than the average human finger. However, various sizes are available.
Professionals do not use them to measure volumes of chemicals. Rather, scientists use them for holding and collecting small samples. They then experiment on these by heating, spinning, and so on.
Vials
Vials, like the ones sold by Chrom Tech, are like test tubes. However, these are shorter and wider. Most manufacturers offer these in various sizes and materials.
One purpose for this type of glassware is to store samples like medication. Scientists also use them in autosampler devices.
Other Types of Chemistry Glassware
This is just the start. There are plenty more specific subdivisions and other categories of chemistry glassware. Be sure to learn and memorize them. This will help you be the best scientist that you can be.
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