Introduction to Biology: Lab Equipment

Bunsen Burner

A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas or a liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane, butane, or a mixture of both.

Florence Flask

A Florence flask has a round body with a flat bottom and a single long neck. It is designed for uniform heating, boiling, distillation and ease of swirling; it is produced in a number of different glass thicknesses to stand different types of use.

Buret

A buret is a device used in analytical chemistry for the dispensing of variable, measured amounts of a chemical solution. A volumetric burette delivers measured volumes of liquid.

Coverslip

A cover slip and a microscope slide. A cover slip, coverslip or cover glass is a thin flat piece of transparent material, usually square or rectangular, that is placed over objects for viewing with a microscope.

Crucible and Cover

A crucible is a cup-shaped piece of laboratory equipment used to contain chemical compounds when heated to extremely high temperatures. Crucibles are available in several sizes and typically come with a correspondingly-sized crucible cover.

Dissecting Probe

A device designed for use in delicate orthopedic procedures, including tendon reconstructive surgery.

Dissecting Scissors

A dissecting scissor is a pair of scissors that is used in a classroom setting for dissections or in medical and surgical settings.

Dropper

A dropper can be placed so that its output faces in any direction, including up or down and carries the liquid to another container.

Funnel

A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur. Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic.

Hot Plate

A hot plate is a portable self-contained tabletop small appliance that features one, two or more gas burners or electric heating elements. A hot plate can be used as a stand alone appliance, but is often used as a substitute for one of the burners from an oven range or the cook top of a stove.

Magnifying Glass

A magnifying glass is a convex lens that is used to produce a magnified image of an object. The lens is usually mounted in a frame with a handle.

Pipette

A pipette is a laboratory tool commonly used in chemistry, biology and medicine to transport a measured volume of liquid, often as a media dispenser.

Ruler

A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing, engineering and building to measure distances or to rule straight lines.

Scalpel

A scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for dissection.

Microscope Slide

A set of standard 75 by 25 mm microscope slides. The white area can be written on to label the slide. A microscope slide is a thin flat piece of glass, used to hold objects for examination under a microscope.

Petri Dish

A shallow circular dish with a loose-fitting cover, used to culture bacteria or other microorganisms.

Spatula

A spatula is a hand-held tool that is used for lifting, flipping, or spreading. Spatulas have a handle that is long enough to keep the holder's hand away from what is being lifted or spread, as well as away from a hot surface. The blade of the spatula is wide and thin.

Test Tube Clamp

A test tube clamp is designed to hold test tubes that are in use.

Test Tube Holder

A test tube holder is used in a laboratory and it is used to hold/support test tubes.

Test Tube

A test tube, also known as a culture tube or sample tube, is a common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top, usually with a rounded U-shaped bottom.

Watchglass

A watch glass is a circular concave piece of glass used in chemistry as a surface to evaporate a liquid, to hold solids while being weighed, or as a cover for a beaker.

Erlenmeyer Flask

An Erlenmeyer flask or conical flask is a type of laboratory flask which features a flat bottom, a conical body, and a cylindrical neck.

Inoculating Loop

An inoculation loop, also called a smear loop, inoculation wand or microstreaker, is a simple tool used mainly by microbiologists to retrieve an inoculum from a culture of microorganisms.

Iron Ring

An iron ring, sometimes called an iron support ring, is used in chemistry labs to stabilize flasks mounted to a ring stand. Some iron rings include a clamp, while others require a utility clamp to attach to a ring stand.

Pipestem Triangle

Aug 18, 2011 - The ceramic pipestem triangle is a lab tool often used with a Bunsen burner when heating a crucible. It is a triangle made of clay that sits above the burner to let heat pass through.

Beaker Tongs

Commonly Used Lab Equipment teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/vms/science/labequipment.html A very accurate tool. Used to stir, heat, and measure liquid volume.

Dissecting Needles

Dissecting needles keep the dissection open when a student is working on the animal. Dissecting needles are a must have in the science classroom.

Evaporating Dish

Evaporating dishes are used to evaporate excess solvents - most commonly water - to produce a concentrated solution or a solid precipitate of the dissolved substance. Most are made of porcelain.

Forceps

Forceps are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when fingers are too large to grasp small objects or when many objects need to be held at one time while the hands are used to perform a task.

Safety Glasses

If you are working in an area that has particles, flying objects, or dust, you must at least wear safety glasses with side protection. If you are working with chemicals, you must wear goggles.

Test Tube Brush

It is a brush that is long and narrow and used to clean the inside of glassware, in particular test tubes.

Beaker:

Most commonly used tool in a lab. NOT used for measurement.

Test Tube Rack

Test tube racks are commonly used in laboratories to keep test tubes upright so that the equipment does not roll away, spill, etc.

Graduated Cylinder

The graduated cylinder is used for measuring volumes of liquids.

Mortar and Pestle

The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed using the pestle.

Buret Clamp

The single burette clamp has two small clamps mounted vertically.

Triple Beam Balance

The triple beam balance is used to measure masses very precisely; the reading error is 0.05 gram. With the pan empty, move the three sliders on the three beams to their leftmost positions, so that the balance reads zero.

Stopper

This is often used when a reaction is taking place in the flask or test tube and the byproduct or result of the reaction is desired to be collected.

Wire Gauze

This means that an object placed over this type of wire gauze will receive a more uniform heat from a Bunsen burner than the naked flame of it.

Wash Bottle

To clean lab glassware and other lab equipment. They are filled with water or other cleaning liquids, and poured over the tool that needs to be cleaned. A wash bottle is a squeeze bottle with a nozzle, used to rinse various pieces of laboratory glassware, such as test tubes and round bottom flasks.

Tongs

Tongs are a tool used to grip and lift objects, of which there are many forms adapted to their specific use.

Ring Stand

Used to clamp onto a ring stand to sit a beaker or flask. Used to clamp onto ring stand to hold test tube. A stand used to support a ring clamp or test tube clamp.

Spotplate

a flat ceramic or plastic plate containing small wells on which spot tests are made.

Agar

a gelatinous substance obtained from various kinds of red seaweed and used in biological culture media and as a thickener in foods.

Stirring Rod

a piece of laboratory equipment used to mix chemicals and liquids for laboratory purposes. They are usually made of solid glass, about the thickness and slightly longer than a drinking straw, with rounded ends.

Microscope

is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye