Lab Glassware and Glassware Equipment

Why You Need Glassware Instruments In Your High School Chemistry Lab?

Glassware is an essential component of any high school chemistry lab. Glass instruments in laboratories come in all shapes, sizes, and types of glass depending on their purpose and use in the lab. Glassware is ideal for lab settings because glass will not react with chemicals so test results will not be altered, glass is transparent for easy monitoring, and glass is heat resistant when using high temperatures. 

The following instruments are common glassware found in high school chemistry labs:

1. Pipettes

Pipettes are used to transport a certain amount of fluid from one location to another. They are typically made out of borosilicate glass. Volumetric pipettes, Mohr pipettes, and serological pipettes are calibrated and used to aspirate and dispense a specific or fixed amount of liquid. Pipettes come in a variety of sizes.

2. Burettes

Burettes are long graduated glass tubes with a tap at the end and are used to measure the volume of dispensed amounts of liquid. The difference between the starting amount and the final amount will indicate the amount dispensed. They are very reliable, accurate, and durable.

3. Beakers

Beakers are containers shaped as a cylinder with a flat bottom and a spout for pouring. They are usually made out of borosilicate glass and are used to hold and measure liquids. Beakers come in a variety of sizes ranging from milliliters to liters.

4. Flasks

Flasks are typically spherical or conical in shape with a tapered neck. They are made out of borosilicate glass to withstand high temperatures. There are several different kinds of flasks.

The Erlenmeyer flasks are used to mix, dissolve, and heat or cool solutions. They can also be used to catch vapor or condensation.

Volumetric flasks have a flat bottom and an elongated neck. They are calibrated and are used to prepare solutions.

Boiling flasks are round with a flat or round bottom and provide uniform boiling or heating of liquids. They are used to store or mix solutions and collect vapor.

Filtering flasks are used to filter mixtures through filter paper and a funnel. It has a tube at the top of the neck to prevent unwanted pressure.

5. Condensers

Condensers are used to cool gas or heated liquid. They are long tubes made out of borosilicate glass with a coiled inner tube for cooling during the distillation process.

6. Funnels

Funnels are designed with a tapered neck so that liquids can be poured into a vessel with a smaller opening. They come in different sizes and funnel speeds based on the size of the opening.

7. Petri Dishes

Petri dishes are dishes that are shallow and are used to culture living cells. They are made out of borosilicate glass with smooth and level edges to fit tightly with its cover. Petri dishes are designed to withstand thermal shock.

8. Graduated Cylinders

Graduated cylinders, like their name, are cylindrical in shape and are used to measure volume. They are made out of borosilicate glass and are chemical and thermal resistant.

9. Vials

Vials are lab instruments designed to store chemicals. They are small glass bottles with leak-proof caps. 

10. Slides

Slides are flat thin pieces of glass used to contain and display specimens for inspection and study under a microscope. They keep samples that are hard to see with the human eye in place and flat so that all components of the specimen can be examined.

11. Stirring Rods

Stirring rods are made out of thin glass, have the thickness of a straw, have rounded ends, and are used to mix chemicals, liquids, or liquids and solids together. They come in a variety of lengths.

12. Test Tubes

Test tubes are clear glass containers with a u-shaped bottom and have an open top. They are made out of borosilicate glass and can be used for cold or hot applications and to mix, hold, and heat chemical elements. They can be heated in an open flame.

13. Crucibles

Crucibles are lab containers in which substances can be melted. They are designed to withstand high temperatures for melting or altering the substance. Crucibles come in a variety of sizes and have a lid.

14. Watch Glasses

Watch glasses are round and shallow and can be used as a beaker cover to prevent the escape of condensation. They can not be heated directly.

15. Thermometers

Thermometers are used to measure the temperature of a chemical or mixture. Most science thermometers are double-scale and have readings in celsius and fahrenheit. 

All of these glassware items are important to have in high school chemistry labs. These items are used in experiments that provide a hands-on approach to learning about the properties of solids, chemical bonding, liquids and gasses, and radioactivity.

Lab Pro offers a large variety of high school chemistry glassware. For over 40 years, Lab Pro Inc. has been committed to delivering the highest quality chemicals, lab equipment, distance learning kits, lab supplies, and cleanroom PPE apparel to medical device companies and laboratories worldwide. To learn more, visit the biggest Lab Supply showroom in California, or contact us online or at 888-452-2776.