Laboratory Apparatus and Equipment

In chemistry, the right tool gives reliable results. Like using a measuring jug instead of a teacup in a recipe, choosing the correct apparatus makes your measurements accurate and your experiments safer.

Containers and mixing

• Beaker: for holding, mixing and heating liquids (rough volumes only).
• Conical (Erlenmeyer) flask: for swirling without spills; used below a burette in titrations, often on a white tile to see color changes clearly.
• Test-tube/boiling tube (Pyrex/hard glass): for small reactions or gentle heating; use a test-tube holder when hot. Stoppers can temporarily close tubes.

Measuring liquids

• Measuring cylinder: measures approximate volumes.
• Volumetric pipette (e.g., 25 $\,\text{cm}^3$): delivers one fixed, very accurate volume with a pipette filler.
• Burette: delivers variable, precise volumes drop by drop; fill using a small funnel, then remove the funnel before reading.
• Teat/dropper pipette: adds a few drops when exact volume is not critical.
• Wash bottle: rinses sides of glassware so all liquid runs into the mixture for accurate results.

Holding, heating and stirring

• Retort stand, boss and clamp: supports tubes, flasks or a burette (like a phone holder for glassware).
• Tripod and heatproof mat: supports beakers for heating; a gauze spreads heat evenly.
• Stirring rod: mixes solutions safely instead of shaking.

Measuring time, temperature and pH

• Stopwatch: measures to 1 s.
• Thermometer (–10 °C to +110 °C): read at eye level.
• Universal indicator paper: tests pH by color; compare to a chart.

Transferring solids

• Spatula: moves small amounts of solid safely into a tube or onto a balance.
• Small funnel: helps fill burettes or transfer liquids without spilling.

Reading measurements correctly

• Place your eye level with the scale; read the bottom of the meniscus in clear liquids to avoid parallax error.
• Rinse pipettes and burettes with the solution to be used; remove air bubbles from a burette tip before starting.
• Record units: $\,\text{cm}^3$, s, °C. Use a white tile under the flask to see titration color changes.

Choosing the right tool

• Beaker/cylinder: quick, approximate.
• Measuring cylinder: better accuracy.
• Pipette/burette: high accuracy (choose these when results depend on precise volumes).

Common mistakes and improvements

• Using a beaker to “measure” exact volumes → use a measuring cylinder or pipette instead.
• Reading scales from above/below eye level → align your eye to the mark.
• Forgetting to remove the burette funnel → it can drip and change the volume.
• Not controlling variables → keep temperature with a thermometer, use the same volume each trial, and time with a stopwatch. Repeat and average.