A laboratory is a special room or place that is equipped to facilitate scientific experiments, observations and for teaching science. The apparatus that are found in a laboratory can be used to serve different purposes. Some of them are used as a source of heat, for safety, for making observations and for measurement of variables such as voltage, temperature, volume, time and mass.
There are apparatus that are used in general laboratory experiments while others serve specific in experiments. It is important to note that most of the apparatus that are used as containers or reaction vessels are made of transparent glass or plastic and may come in different sizes.
Here is a list of 50 common laboratory apparatus and their uses as follows:
- Alcohol burner
- Aspirator
- Bunsen burner
- Beakers
- Burette
- Barometer
- Burette clamp
- Buchner funnel
- Balance scale
- Conical or titration flask
- Crucible tong
- Condenser
- china dish (Evaporating Dish)
- Crucible with cover
- Chart
- Clay Triangles
- Desiccator
- Dry-cell battery
- Dropper
- Dissecting set
- Erlenmeyer flask
- Funnel
- Forceps
- Flat bottomed flask
- Filter paper
- Friability tester
- Glass funnel
- Glass tubing
- Indicator
- Iron stand
- Iron Clamp
- Iron ring
- Litmus paper
- Level
- Measuring cylinders
- Microscope
- Mortar and pestle
- Measuring flasks
- Magnifier
- Magnet
- No of weights
- pH meter
- Pulley
- Pipette
- Protractor
- Pipet Bulb
- Rubber stopper
- Reagent bottle
- Ring Clamp
- Rubber tubing
- Stand bath
- Spatula
- Syringe
- Stirring rod
- Separatory funnel
- Stethoscope
- Stopwatch
- Speedometer
- Test tube rack
- Tripod
- Tripod stand
- Test tube holder
- Test tube stand
- Telescope
- Test tube brush
- Tuning fork
- Tape
- Thermometer
- Tongs
- Wire gauze
- Wash bottle
- Watch glass
Bunsen Burner
This is a piece of apparatus that is used as a safe source of heat in laboratories using a single gas flame. A Bunsen has an inlet that is usually connected to an external source of laboratory gas by rubber tubing. Its flame is used not only for heating, but for combustion and sterilizing objects too.
Microscope
This is an apparatus that is used to give finer details of small objects that would otherwise not be seen by the naked eye or a hand lens. It does so by magnifying objects up to thousands times their original size. There exist two main variants of a microscope namely; a light microscope and an electron microscope
Weighing Balances
These are used to weigh the mass of substances in a laboratory. There are different types of weigh balances such as beam balance, spring balance, top pan balances and electronic balances.
Watches and clocks
These are apparatus for measuring time. Stop watches and stop clocks are the most commonly used for accurately measuring time during experiments.
Voltmeter
When it comes to measuring the voltage between any two points, nothing does the job better than a voltmeter. It is normally connected in parallel with a device so as to measure its voltage.
Safety Apparatus
It is essential for any laboratory to have a wide range of safety equipment at its disposal. They are intended to keep laboratory users and their working environment safe from injuries, corrosive chemicals, poisonous fumes or accidental fires while carrying out experiments. The list of protective gear ranges from;
- Safety goggles
- Disposable coveralls and aprons
- Disposable latex gloves
- Plastic bags
- Gas mask
- Fire blanket or extinguisher
- First aid kits
- Plumbed eyewash units
- Flammable safe
- Chemical spill kits
- Plastic dust pan and scoop
Beaker
Beakers serve a wide range of purposes. Calibrated beakers are used to measure approximate volumes of liquids, holding both liquids and solids and heating them when necessary. In addition to that, beakers may be used for stirring and mixing different substances in a laboratory.
Volumetric Flask
Volumetric flasks come in handy when fairly accurate and precise volumes of liquids are required. They can as well be used for dilution when preparing standard solutions.
Burette
This is an apparatus that is used for adding fairly accurate volumes of liquids up to nearly 0.01ml especially during titrations. It is fitted with an adjustable stopcock that regulates the amount of liquid that is released at a time.
Pipette
A pipette (sometimes spelled pipet) is a laboratory tool commonly used in chemistry, biology and medicine to transport a measured volume of liquid, often as a media dispenser. Pipettes come in several designs for various purposes with differing levels of accuracy and precision, from single piece glass pipettes to more complex adjustable or electronic pipettes.
Thermometer
A thermometer is used to measure the degree of hotness or coldness of a substance. They come in different types such as maximum and minimum thermometer, clinical thermometer and general purpose thermometers.
Flat-bottomed Flask
It is used for general laboratory experiments. A flat-bottomed flask can be used to collect, measure and hold liquids. They may as well be used for heating substances and mixing solutions in a laboratory.
Filter Funnel
Filter funnels are used for delivering different amounts of liquids carefully into holding apparatus. It can also be used together with a filter paper to separate finer solid substances from liquids. They vary in sizes and material from which they are built from depending on the purpose for which they are needed.
Desiccator
A desiccator is a sealable storage unit used for drying or keeping moisture sensitive substances free from moisture. There are two main types of desiccators that are made from polycarbonate or polypropylene material. These are; vacuum desiccators and non-vacuum desiccators.
Reagent Bottle
Reagent bottle or media bottle refers to containers used for storing and sampling both liquid and solid bench reagents in a variety of laboratory experiments. Most reagent bottles are made of glass or plastic.
Spatula
A spatula is a broad, flat, hand-held blade apparatus that is used for spreading, mixing and scooping solid substances. The do come in various shapes and sizes.
Dropping funnel
This is an apparatus that is used to add controlled amounts of liquids into reaction vessels more so when the reaction is expected to be too vigorous if large amounts of the reagent are used at a go.
Mortar and pestle
These apparatus are used to prepare solid reagents into a paste or powder by grinding, crushing or pounding them. They are mostly made of metal, wood, nonporous marble and granite material.
Test-tube
Test-tube is a tubular apparatus that is used for general laboratory experiments. They may be used to hold and compare chemical substances. In addition to that, test-tubes can be used to mix liquid substances and heating small chemical samples.
Crucible
This is a heat resistant apparatus used when heating solid substances under high temperatures. It is commonly made of porcelain as it is resistant to heat when strongly heating solid substances.
Further References
- Laboratory Apparatus: https://owlcation.com/stem/A-Chemistry-Guide-List-of-Common-Laboratory-Equipment-Names-and-Uses
- Lab Equipments: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnlabglassware.com/more-than-20-common-laboratory-apparatus-their-uses.html%3famp=1?espv=1