Lab Apparatus & Safety
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flagWhat you'll discover
- arrow_forwardIdentify the common apparatus: beaker, conical flask, burette, pipette, test tube, Bunsen burner, tripod, funnel, wash bottle and watch glass
- arrow_forwardMatch each apparatus to its correct use, especially accurate versus approximate volume measurement
- arrow_forwardState the difference between the Bunsen burner's blue and yellow flames and when to use each
- arrow_forwardSpot common safety violations: missing goggles, flammables near flames, bad heating technique and uncleaned spills
- arrow_forwardExplain why a burette is read at eye level from the bottom of the meniscus
Know your glassware — accuracy matters
Laboratory glassware is divided by job. Beakers and conical flasks hold and mix; their printed graduations are only approximate, with errors of 5% or more. Volumetric glassware measures: a pipette delivers one fixed volume (commonly 25.0 mL) with an accuracy of about 0.05 mL, and a burette delivers a variable volume readable to 0.1 mL or better.
This is why titration always uses a pipette for the flask solution and a burette for the titrant — never a beaker for either. In the practical exam, naming the right apparatus for a measurement is a standard question: "accurate fixed volume" means pipette, "accurate variable volume" means burette, "just holding or heating" means beaker or flask.
The Bunsen burner and heating technique
The Bunsen burner gives two flames. With the air hole open, complete combustion gives the roaring blue flame with a pale inner cone — nearly 1500 °C at the tip of the inner cone, used for strong heating. With the air hole closed, incomplete combustion gives the quiet, luminous yellow flame — cooler, sooty, and used only as the visible "safety flame" between operations.
Glassware never sits directly in the flame: a tripod and wire gauze spread the heat so the glass warms evenly instead of cracking. Test tubes are heated near the surface of the liquid, tilted, constantly moved, and always pointed away from yourself and neighbours — bumping liquid can eject violently from an overheated tube bottom.
Safety rules that examiners expect you to know
Eye protection comes first: goggles are worn whenever anything is heated or any corrosive liquid is handled, because the eye cannot heal from alkali burns the way skin can. Flammable liquids (ethanol, ether) must be stoppered and kept well away from open flames — their invisible vapour can flash across a bench.
Spills are reported and cleaned immediately; acid spills are neutralised with sodium bicarbonate. Never taste any chemical, never pipette by mouth, and waft vapours toward your nose with a cupped hand rather than sniffing directly. These precautions appear in the viva section of the NEB practical exam, so learn the reason behind each rule, not just the rule itself.