Chemistry Lab Equipment

Chemistry Lab Equipment

Beaker - A beaker is a glass container with a flat bottom and a small spout for pouring. It is used in the chemistry lab for mixing, heating, and stirring liquids. Beakers come in various sizes and are shaped like a cylinder.	Beakers
Bunsen burner - The Bunsen burner is a metal tube that produces a flame from gas such as methane, propane, or butane. It is used in the lab for heating and sterilizing. The Bunsen burner is named after German chemist Robert Bunsen.	Bunsen burner

Crucible - Crucibles are containers used for heating substances to very high temperatures. They are generally made from materials such as porcelain, nickel, and alumina. 

Erlenmeyer flask - This is a type of chemistry flask with a conical shaped body, a cylindrically shaped neck, and a flat bottom. It generally has measurement marks on the side. It is similar to a beaker, but has the cone shaped body. The cone shape reduces losses from evaporation and helps to prevent spills when stirring the liquid.	Erlenmeyer flask
Funnel - A funnel is a pipe with a wide mouth that helps to pour substances into a container without spilling. In a chemistry lab, funnels are often used together with filters to separate a mixture.	Funnel and flask
Gloves - Laboratory gloves are important to wear in order to protect the skin from chemical substances. Always listen to your teacher and make sure to wear gloves when performing experiments.	Always wear gloves
Goggles - Goggles are very important when performing experiments of any kind. They can keep dangerous chemicals and other substances from damaging your eyes. Always wear your goggles in the lab!	Always wear goggles
Graduated cylinder - A tall skinny cylinder used to measure volumes. It is generally a more accurate way to measure volume than a typical beaker or flask.	Graduated cylinder
Mortar and pestle - A mortar and pestle are used to crush and grind solids into a powder. The mortar is a bowl and the pestle is a small club-shaped tool. They are typically made from ceramic or stone.	Mortar and pestle
Pipette - A narrow glass tube used to transfer liquids from one place to another. Pipettes sometimes are used for measurement. The accuracy of different pipettes varies widely.	Pipette

Scoopula - A scoopula is a metal spatula-type utensil used to scoop up solids such as powders in a chemistry lab. 

Stirring rod - A skinny solid glass rod used in chemistry to mix chemicals and liquids. A stirring rod is typically about the length of a long straw and has rounded ends. 

Test tube - A test tube is a glass or plastic tube used for holding, mixing, and heating small quantities of liquid chemicals. Test tubes often have a flared top to help with pouring. They come in a variety of sizes.  Test tube holder - A stand built for holding multiple test tubes.  Test tube brush - A brush designed to help clean out test tubes.  Test tube clamps - Clamps that hold test tubes while using them to heat up chemicals during a lab experiment.

Test tubes in a holder

Thermometer - A device used for measuring the temperature of a substance. 

Triangle - A triangle made of clay pipes and wire that can withstand high temperatures. It is often used to hold a crucible. 

Wire gauze - A wire gauze is used to support a beaker or flask when heating. The wire gauze helps to spread the heat evenly. 

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry


What is organic chemistry? 

Organic chemistry is the study of compounds that contain the element carbon. This is a wide ranging topic that overlaps with other sciences like biochemistry, medicine, and materials science. Organic chemists study the properties, structure, and chemical reactions of organic compounds. 

Why is carbon important? 

Carbon is the central element to all living organisms. It is the basis to all life on earth. By studying carbon and organic compounds, scientists can learn more about life, the human body, and how it works. 

Organic Molecules 

Most organic molecules are made up of long rings or chains of carbon atoms with atoms of other elements attached. Common elements besides carbon (C) that are found in organic compounds include hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). Some examples of organic molecules include:

• Carbohydrates - Carbohydrates consist only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They include starches and sugars and play an important role in our daily lives.
• Lipids - Lipids include fats and waxes. They are used for long term storage of energy in life forms.
• Proteins - Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids. Proteins play an important role in nearly every process that takes place in cells.
• Nucleic Acids - Nucleic acids make up long chains of components such as DNA and RNA. DNA carries information such as genes for protein molecules to use. The RNA helps to move the DNA code from storage to where it can be used.

Types of Organic Compounds or Functional Groups 

There are a number of types of organic compounds. Scientists divide these up into functional groups based on the type of element common to the group in addition to carbon. These groups have similar properties because they have similar molecules. 

Hydrocarbons 

Hydrocarbons form a functional group of organic compounds that are composed of only hydrogenand carbon atoms. Within the group of hydrocarbons are other groups such as alkanes. Alkanes include ethane, propane, methane, and butane. A lot of these compounds are used for heating and cooking. Other groups of hydrocarbons are alkenes, and alkynes. 

Other elements 

Other elements that carbon combines with to form organic compounds include oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and boron. 

Organic Synthesis 

Organic synthesis is the process of making organic compounds. Many of the products we use everyday are made from organic compounds produced in large factories. Examples of these include plastics, alcohols, rubber, and dyes. 

What is the difference between organic chemistry and biochemistry? 

We learned that organic chemistry is the study of compounds containing carbon. Biochemistry, on the other hand, is the study of chemical processes in biological systems. These two sciences often overlap as organic compounds play an important role in many chemical processes. 

Interesting Facts about Organic Chemistry

• Carbon occurs in its pure form in nature as graphite and diamond.
• Around 18 percent of the human body is carbon atoms.
• Charles Goodyear found that combining rubber with sulfur allowed the rubber to be more durable across temperatures.
• Synthetic dyes made from organic compounds have allowed the manufacture of dyes rather than using plants for dyes.
• DNA molecules are very long. If you stretched one out it would be about three feet long.