Chemistry Glassware Types, Names and Uses

Beakers

Beakers are the workhorse glassware of any chemistry lab. The flat bottom of a beaker makes it easy to place on flat surfaces such as a lab bench or a hot plate. The spout makes it easy to pour liquids into other containers. Finally, the wide opening makes it easy to add materials to the beaker. For this reason, beakers are often used for mixing and transferring liquids.

Types of Beakers

Beakers come in a variety of sizes and are used for measuring volumes of liquid. Nevertheless, they aren't particularly precise. Some aren't even marked with volume measurements. A typical beaker is accurate within about 10%. In other words, a 250-milliliter beaker will hold 250 milliliters plus or minus 25 milliliters of liquid. Meanwhile, a liter beaker will be accurate to within about 100 milliliters of liquid.

Erlenmeyer Flasks

There are multiple types of flasks. One of the most common in a chemistry lab is an Erlenmeyer flask. This type of flask has a narrow neck and a flat bottom. It's good for swirling, storing, and heating liquids. For some situations, either a beaker or an Erlenmeyer flask is a good choice, but if you need to seal a container, it's much easier to put a stopper in an Erlenmeyer flask or cover it with parafilm than it is to cover a beaker.

Named after Emil Erlenmeyer, a German organic chemist who designed the flask, Erlenmeyer flasks come in multiple sizes. As with beakers, these flasks might or might not have volume marked. They are accurate to within about 10%.

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Chemistry Laboratory Glassware Gallery

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Test Tubes

Test tubes are good for collecting and holding small samples. They aren't typically used for measuring precise volumes. Test tubes are relatively inexpensive compared to other types of glassware. Those meant to be heated directly with a flame are sometimes made from borosilicate glass, but others are made from less sturdy glass and sometimes plastic.

Test tubes don't usually have volume markings. They are sold according to their size and may have either smooth openings or lips.

Pipettes

Pipettes are used to deliver small volumes of liquids reliably and repeatedly. There are different types of pipettes. Unmarked pipettes deliver liquids drop-wise and might not have volume markings. Other pipettes are used to measure and deliver precise volumes. Micropipettes, for example, can deliver liquids with microliter accuracy.

Most pipettes are made of glass, though some are made of plastic. This type of glassware isn't intended to be exposed to flames or extreme temperatures. Pipettes can be deformed by heat and lose their measurement accuracy under extreme temperatures.

Florence Flasks, or Boiling Flasks

A Florence flask, or boiling flask, is a thick-walled, rounded flask with a narrow neck. It's almost always made of borosilicate glass so that it can withstand heating under a direct flame. The neck of the flask allows a clamp so the glassware can be held securely. This type of flask might measure a precise volume, but often no measurement is listed. Both 500-milliliter and liter sizes are common.

Volumetric Flasks

Volumetric flasks are used to prepare solutions. Each features a narrow neck with a marking, usually for a single precise volume. Because temperature changes cause materials, including glass, to expand or shrink, volumetric flasks aren't meant for heating. These flasks can be covered with a stopper or sealed so that evaporation won't change the concentration of a stored solution.