Chemistry laboratories can only function well if they have the right equipment based on the intended purpose of that particular laboratory.
Most chemistry labs in schools, for example, are purely used for instructional purposes. Meanwhile, specialised workplace chemistry labs, like forensic laboratories, may have specialised equipment not found in other labs. At ReAgent, we have a QC lab where we quality test the chemicals we manufacture.
Continue reading to find out about the essential chemistry lab equipment and apparatuses that most labs have, either for instructional or specialised purposes. These include glasswares, heating and cooling devices, analytical instruments, and safety equipment.
In this post:
Instruments in a chemistry lab
Glassware is the standard and ubiquitous chemistry instrument found in chemistry laboratories.
It’s pretty basic equipment that even high school chemistry labs have. These instruments, like beakers, flasks, and pipettes as we’ll see below, are versatile and can be used for a wide range of applications. These applications include measuring, heating solutions, distilling liquids, and titrating bases and acids.
Beakers and flasks
Many of the chemicals in chemistry laboratories are in liquid or in solution forms. Liquids are easier to mix and manipulate. That means glassware such as beakers and flasks are indispensable.
They come in many sizes, measured in terms of millilitres, and tend to range from five mL to 10,000 mL. Beakers are cylindrical containers with flat bottoms and most of them have small spouts or beaks. They are used for chemical mixing, heating, and pouring liquids. They are also labelled with volume measurements.
Flasks, on the other hand, have more varied designs. Some have flat bottoms, like Erlenmeyer flasks, while others have round bottoms, like distillation flasks. They are also used for mixing, heating, and pouring, and additionally for collecting precipitates as sealed containers.
Burettes and pipettes
Chemistry always involves measurements and analysis. Burettes and pipettes are useful for these purposes.
Burettes are long graduated glass tubes with an adjustable stopcock and narrow pointed tip or nozzle. They’re used for volumetric analysis, particularly in titrations.
Pipettes are small graduated tubes with narrow pointed nozzles. They are used for transferring measured amounts of liquids very precisely. Pipettes usually have rubber plungers on the other end to create partial vacuums for sucking fluids, and vary in design and volumes.
How do heating and cooling devices work in a chemistry lab?
Chemical reactions can either be accelerated or slowed down by increasing or decreasing temperature. You can either apply more heat energy to a reaction to make it faster or take away heat from it to slow it down.
Heating devices such as Bunsen burners are commonly used chemistry lab equipment, as most experiments such as distillation require a heat source.
Cooling devices such as refrigerators are less commonly used in chemistry laboratories as standard – in fact, they are more commonly used in biology and medical diagnostic laboratories to preserve medicines and specimens.
Bunsen burners
One of the most common instruments found in the chemistry laboratory is the Bunsen burner.
Named after Robert Bunsen, the Bunsen burner was invented in 1885. It was simply called a gas burner then, but it soon became as indispensable as laboratory glassware.
A Bunsen burner is a simple tubular metal contraption with a base. It can produce very hot blue flames that can easily be controlled by an air regulator (collar) at the base, and is connected to a gas source via a gas hose.
Hot plates and magnetic stirrers
Hot plates are electrically powered heating devices that are commonly used for even heat distribution. Since they do not produce flames, they can be conveniently used for oil bath applications.
Meanwhile, magnetic stirrers are used to continually stir liquid solutions. This device consists of a platform with rotating or stationary electromagnet inside. The actual stirrer is a separate stir bar (which can also be magnetic) enclosed in a ceramic or inert coating. This is put inside a container with the liquid to stir the liquid.
Magnetic stirrers are typically used in preparing solutions that require continuous stirring for an extended period of time.
Chemistry lab equipment: Analytical instruments
The science of chemistry hinges on analytical methods. Great discoveries and ideas in chemistry are the products of analysis. Even routine tasks, such as determining the acidity or basicity of a solution, require analysis. This can be performed using various tools and methodologies but some analytical work requires specialised tools.
Chemical composition is the main focus of analytical chemistry. The etymology of the word ‘analysis’ is from the Greek analusis, from analuein, which means to ‘unloose’. We can therefore glean that in order to analyse, we must unloose or separate the components. This is precisely what some of the most important analytical instruments are capable of doing, such as spectrophotometers. Read on to learn more about analytical instruments in a chemistry lab…
Spectrophotometers
Elements, compounds, and ions absorb, transmit (allow to pass through), and reflect specific wavelengths of light.
By allowing a beam of light to pass through a solution, the type and concentration of chemicals can be deduced using a spectrophotometer. This is done by measuring the wavelengths and intensity of light that pass through while comparing it to known samples. A spectrometer can either be a UV spectrometer or an infrared spectrometer.
Chromatography systems
There are four main types of chromatography systems:
- Paper chromatography
- Gas chromatography
- Thin-layer chromatography
- High-performance liquid chromatography
These systems vary in design and components, but use the same basic principles. A chromatography system separates a mixture into its components during a stationary phase and a mobile phase.
The differences in molecular adhesions of compounds and elements on the surfaces separate a mixture’s components.
Chemistry lab safety equipment
Working with chemistry lab equipment exposes people to potential dangers, such as chemical burns, poisoning, and even possible fire or explosions.
To minimise these risks, safety equipment is necessary. Aside from the standard PPE, such as goggles, gloves, lab coats or aprons, and facemasks, you’ll find more permanent and built-in lab safety equipment, such as fume hoods.
Fume hoods
Toxic fumes from chemical reactions and corrosive substances should be properly ventilated to avoid inhaling them. Fume hoods solve this problem.
A fume hood is a type of localised exhaust ventilation device. Basically, it looks like a cupboard with a transparent glass cover that can be slid up or down. Inside this cupboard is typically a sink and a ventilation fan that sucks air from inside the chamber, pumping it outside the building.
This is how a fume hood protects people working in chemistry labs against fumes and chemical splash during reactions.
Safety showers and eyewash stations
Accidental splashes of corrosive chemicals like acids can happen. To counter the potential injuries, corrosive chemicals must be immediately washed away.
That means safety showers and eyewash stations are mandated in many labs. They must be placed in easily accessible areas so they can be used quickly in an emergency.
Conclusion
There’s a lot of chemistry lab equipment that’s present in standard chemistry laboratories, including glassware, heating devices, and analytical instruments. This type of equipment is essential to the core functions of a chemistry laboratory, which include chemical analysis, synthesis, and experiments. Safety is also another crucial aspect.
