
If you work in a lab or take a lab class, you’ll come across a variety of glassware, each with unique characteristics that make it particularly well-suited to specific uses. Flasks, beakers, pipets, and graduated cylinders are among the lab glassware you’re virtually certain to come across. Most are used to measure liquid amounts; some are roughly accurate, while others are quite exact. Understanding the distinctions between the many types of glassware accessible to you will allow you to plan and carry out experiments more efficiently.
Types of Glassware
Erlenmeyer flasks have a short neck over a conical base, whereas beakers are big open-mouthed glass jars with a pouring lip and spout. Graduated cylinders are tall cylinders with a pour spout and hash markings on the side to measure the volume of their contents. Volumetric flasks feature a bulb with a flat bottom and a long, thin neck with a hash mark down the side to show when the flask is filled.
Volunmetric Glassware
Five types of glassware are commonly used to measure precise volumes: graduated cylinders, beakers, volumetric pipets, burets, and volumetric glassware. Volumetric pipets, flasks, and burets are the most precise; glassware manufacturers calibrate these to a high level of precision. Tolerance, which is the uncertainty in a measurement taken with glassware, is typically used to assess accuracy.
Graduated cylinders and Beakers
Volumetric glassware is more accurate than graduated cylinders, beakers, and Erlenmeyer flasks. Graduated cylinders are typically deemed trustworthy to within 1% of their nominal value. Because of their low precision for volume measurements, beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks should not be used to measure volume unless you just require a very rough estimate. They can, however, carry a significantly higher volume than any other form of glassware, making them excellent for mixing liquids.
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Beakers and Erlenmeyer flasks should be used to mix and transfer chemicals during experiments, as well as to store waste. If only a little amount of precision is required, use graduated cylinders; for higher precision, use a pipet or a buret. Titration is best done with burets.
Tools to measure the volume of a Liquid
1. Burets
To a scientist, there is a significant difference between a volume of 25 millilitres (mL) and 25.00 mL. The first amount requires just 0.5 mL accuracy; that is, the measuring instrument must be able to measure an actual volume within a few tenths of 1 mL. Measuring 25.00 mL, on the other hand, necessitates the use of an equipment capable of measuring to a few hundredths of a millilitre. Glassware with such precision is known as “volumetric” glassware. Burets are a kind of buret.
2. Pipets
Pipets are long, thin tubes that range in length from 12 to 24 inches. They may measure a certain volume, such as 25.00 mL or 10.00 mL. They may also feature graduations (referred to as pipets) that allow for the delivery of odd and fractional quantities. They are volumetric glassware because they are often precise to 0.02 mL. When you press the rubber bulb on the pipet, the expanding bulb’s suction sucks liquid into the pipet.