Common laboratory equipment and supplies

Glass stir rod

It's a human-powered stir rod. Enough said.

Micropipet

Pipet used to deliver small volumes of fluid with precision; particularly common in molecular biology.

Disposable pipet

Plastic pipet used to deliver small volumes of fluid (usually 0.5 mL to 3 mL); not nearly as precise as a micropipette.

UV Transilluminator

Projects ultraviolet radiation through a translucent sample for observation or photography.

Test tube rack, plastic

Holds test tubes upright.

Test tube rack, wooden

Holds test tubes upright.

Flow cytometer

In biotechnology, flow cytometry is a laser-based, biophysical technology employed in cell counting, cell sorting, biomarker detection and protein engineering, by suspending cells in a stream of fluid and passing them by an electronic detection apparatus. It allows simultaneous multiparametric analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics of up to thousands of particles per second.

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 (which is mainly methane) or a liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane, butane, or a mixture of both.

Flint spark lighter

A flint spark lighter (sometimes just called a spark lighter, striker, or flint lighter) is a type of lighter used in many applications to safely light a gaseous fuel to start a flame. It is most commonly used for bunsen burners and oxyacetylene welding torches.

Büchner (sidearm) flask

A Büchner flask, also known as a vacuum flask, or side-arm flask, is a thick-walled Erlenmeyer flask with a short glass tube and hose barb protruding from its neck. The hose barb effectively acts as an adapter over which the end of a flexible hose (tubing) can be fitted, with the other end connected to an aspirator, vacuum pump, or house vacuum. The thick wall of the Büchner flask provides it the strength to withstand the pressure difference while holding a vacuum inside. It is primarily used together with a Büchner funnel for filtration of samples.

Büchner funnel

A Büchner funnel is a piece of laboratory equipment used in filtration. It is traditionally made of porcelain, but glass and plastic funnels are also available. On top of the funnel-shaped part there is a cylinder with a fritted glass disc/perforated plate separating it from the funnel. The main advantage in using this type of filtration is that it proceeds much more quickly (several orders of magnitude) than simply allowing the liquid to drain through the filter medium via the force of gravity.

Florence (boiling) 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.

Meker burner

A Meker burner is a laboratory burner that produces multiple open gas flames, used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. It is used when laboratory work requires a hotter flame than attainable using a Bunsen burner, or used when a larger-diameter flame is desired, such as with an inoculation loop or in some glassblowing operations. The burner was introduced by French chemist Georges Méker in an article published in 1909. The Meker-Fisher burner heat output can be in excess of 12,000 BTU (13,000 kJ) per hour (about 3.5 kW) using LP gas.

Schlenk flask

A Schlenk flask is a reaction vessel typically used in air-sensitive chemistry, invented by Wilhelm Schlenk. It has a side arm fitted with a PTFE or ground glass stopcock which allows the vessel to be evacuated or filled with gases (usually inert gases like nitrogen or argon).

Beaker

A beaker is a simple container for stirring, mixing and heating liquids commonly used in many laboratories. Beakers are generally cylindrical in shape, with a flat bottom. Most also have a small spout (or "beak") to aid pouring as shown in the picture. Beakers are available in a wide range of sizes, from one milliliter up to several liters.

Buret

A burette (also 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.

Cuvette

A cuvette is a small tube of circular or square cross section, sealed at one end, made of plastic, glass, or fused quartz (for UV light) and designed to hold samples for spectroscopic experiments. Disposable plastic cuvettes are often used in fast spectroscopic assays, where speed is more important than high accuracy.

Hot plate

A device for heating substances, most often solutions in beakers or flasks.

Stir plate

A device that, with a magnetic stir bar, can be used to mix solutions.

Scale

A digital scale is a measurement device used to measure the weight or mass of an object or substances. Digital scales are often more compact, durable, and precise than other kinds of scales, such as spring scales or balances, which often wear out and give different readings over time. A digital scale may be used for many different purposes ranging from the measurement of ingredients in the kitchen to the precise measurement of substances in a lab.

Distillation flask

A glass usually round-bottomed flask for holding a substance to be distilled.

Graduated cylinder

A graduated cylinder is a piece of laboratory equipment used to measure the volume of a liquid. Graduated cylinders are generally more accurate and precise than laboratory flasks and beakers. However, they are less accurate and precise than volumetric glassware, such as a volumetric flask or volumetric pipette.

pH meter

A pH meter is an electronic device used for measuring the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of a liquid (though special probes are sometimes used to measure the pH of semi-solid substances). A typical pH meter consists of a special measuring probe (a glass electrode) connected to an electronic meter that measures and displays the pH reading.

Retort

A retort is a glassware device used for distillation or dry distillation of substances. It consists of a spherical vessel with a long downward-pointing neck. The liquid to be distilled is placed in the vessel and heated. The neck acts as a condenser, allowing the vapors to condense and flow along the neck to a collection vessel placed underneath

Ring stand

A retort stand, also called a ring stand, is a piece of scientific equipment, to which clamps can be attached to hold test tubes and other equipment such as burettes which are most often used in titration experiments. It is also used in filtering.

Separatory funnel

A separatory funnel is a piece of laboratory glassware used in liquid-liquid extractions to separate the components of a mixture into two immiscible solvent phases of different densities. Typically, one of the phases will be aqueous, and the other a non-polar lipophilic organic solvent such as ether, MTBE, dichloromethane, chloroform, or ethyl acetate. All of these solvents form a clear delineation between the two liquids. The two layers formed are usually known as the organic and aqueous phases.

Spectrophotometer

A spectrophotometer is an apparatus for measuring the intensity of light in a part of the spectrum, especially as transmitted or emitted by particular substances.

Buret shut up cha cha

A stopcock is a valve used to restrict or isolate the flow of a liquid or gas through a pipe (or, in this case, a buret).

Dewar flask

A vacuum flask (also known as a Dewar flask, Dewar bottle or Thermos) is an insulating storage vessel that greatly lengthens the time over which its contents remain hotter or cooler than the flask's surroundings. Invented by Sir James Dewar in 1892, the vacuum flask consists of two flasks, placed one within the other and joined at the neck. The gap between the two flasks is partially evacuated of air, creating a near-vacuum which prevents heat transfer by conduction or convection.

Vortexer

A vortex mixer, or vortexer, is a simple device used commonly in laboratories to mix small vials of liquid. It consists of an electric motor with the drive shaft oriented vertically and attached to a cupped rubber piece mounted slightly off-center. As the motor runs the rubber piece oscillates rapidly in a circular motion. When a test tube or other appropriate container is pressed into the rubber cup (or touched to its edge) the motion is transmitted to the liquid inside and a vortex is created. Most vortex mixers have variable speed settings and can be set to run continuously, or to run only when downward pressure is applied to the rubber piece.

Rubber stoppers

Also called a bung, a rubber stopper is a truncated cylindrical or conical closure to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or flask.

PCR machine (thermal cycler)

Amplifies fragments of nucleic acids by exposing PCR samples to cycles of three temperatures (denaturation, annealing, elongation).

Analytical scale

An analytical balance is a class of balance designed to measure small mass in the sub-milligram range. The measuring pan of an analytical balance (0.1 mg or better) is inside a transparent enclosure with doors so that dust does not collect and so any air currents in the room do not affect the balance's operation. This enclosure is often called a draft shield.

Mass spectrometer

An apparatus for separating isotopes, molecules, and molecular fragments according to mass. The sample is vaporized and ionized, and the ions are accelerated in an electric field and deflected by a magnetic field into a curved trajectory that gives a distinctive mass spectrum.

Gas line hose

Deliver gas between supply and burners.

Rubber tubing

Delivers gas between supply and burner or glassware.

Beam balance

The beam balance was the first mass measuring instrument invented. In its traditional form, it consists of a pivoted horizontal lever with arms of equal length - the beam - and a weighing pan suspended from each arm (hence the plural name "scales" for a weighing instrument). The unknown mass is placed in one pan and standard masses of known weight are added to the other pan until the beam is as close to equilibrium as possible. In precision balances, a more accurate determination of the mass is given by the position of a sliding mass moved along a graduated scale. Technically, a balance compares weight rather than mass, but, in a given gravitational field (such as Earth's gravity), the weight of an object is proportional to its mass, so the standard "weights" used with balances are usually labeled in units of mass (g, kg, etc.).

Erlenmeyer flask

The tapered sides and narrow neck of this flask allow the contents of the flask to be mixed by swirling, without risk of spillage, making them suitable for titrations. Such features similarly make the flask suitable for boiling liquids. Hot vapors condense on the upper section of the Erlenmeyer flask, reducing solvent loss. Erlenmeyer flasks' narrow necks can also support filter funnels.

Mortar and pestel

Used for grinding solids into smaller particles (e.g., powder).

Petri dish

Used to hold nutrient media for culture of various microbes or Fungi (molds, etc).

Test tube tongs

Used to hold test tubes, particularly when tubes are too hot to be held by hand or when the contents might present a hazard.

Magnetic stir bar retriever

Used to retrieve stir bars from glassware, such as beakers and flasks.

Magnetic stir bar

Used with a magnetic stir plate; placed at bottom of glassware in which solution is being prepared; spin such that solute and solvent are more quickly mixed.

Volumetric flask

Volumetric flasks are used for precise dilutions and preparation of standard solutions.

pH paper

pH paper, also called litmus paper, is filter paper that is treated with natural water soluble dye from lichens. pH paper is used as an indicator to test the acidity of water-based liquids.