Chemistry Lab Equipment

Common chemistry lab equipment

While the exact pieces of lab equipment will vary from lab to lab, there are some common pieces of equipment found in every lab. Different labs specialize in different things, so of course, they are going to have different equipment.

In the next section below, there is a list of some common chemistry equipment that you will likely encounter and use in the lab.

Chemistry lab equipment list

We are going to break this very big list down into sections based on the general use/type of equipment.

Glassware

Glassware refers to the different measuring tools made of glass. These can be used just for measurement, but also to contain different reactants/products.

1. Erlenmeyer flask: Used to measure volume and/or used as a container

2. Beaker: Used to measure volume and/or used as a container

3. Volumetric flask: Used to measure volume

4. Graduated cylinder: used to measure volume

Fig.1-Different glassware

5. Graduated Pipette: Used to dispense specific volumes of liquid

• Pipettes can also be plastic or be disposable tips. Which type of pipette you used is based on the task and how much liquid needs to be dispensed
• Pipette bulbs may also be added onto the top of the pipette. When you first squeeze and release the bulb, the liquid will be drawn upward. By squeezing the bulb a second time, the liquid will be dispensed

Fig.2-Different types of pipettes

6. Buret: Used to dispense specific volumes of liquid

Fig.3-Buret on a clamp

7. Test tube: Used to contain liquids or solids

Fig.4-Silver chloride (AgCl) in a test tube

8. Funnel: Used to transfer liquids

• Funnels can also be plastic
• If a filter paper is placed in a funnel, it can be used to separate a solid from a liquid. This specific type of funnel is called a Büchner funnel

Fig.5-Two different shapes of funnel

Keep in mind that these aren't all the glassware you will see, but they are the most common

Cleaning glassware

Cleaning glassware is an important part of working in the lab. If glassware isn't cleaned properly, residual chemicals can react with your experiment and cause all kinds of error!

Here are the general steps for cleaning glassware:

1. Remove organic residues by rinsing with an organic solvent (acetone or ethanol)
   • This waste will be discarded in your lab's organic waste bin, not the sink!
2. Use warm, soapy water to clean the glassware
   • This waste can go down the sink
3. Rinse with deionized water to avoid harsh water stains
   • Can be rinsed again with acetone, this waste should also be place in the organic waste bin

Devices

While in the lab, there will be a number of devices you can use to perform specific functions.

1. Bunsen burner: Used to heat substances

Fig.6-A Bunsen burner

2. Hot plate: Used to heat substances

• Hot plates are more precise than Bunsen burners since they often can be set to a specific temperature and/or have a temperature display

Fig.7-A hot plate with magnetic stirrer

4. Microscope: Used to magnify objects

Fig.8-A microscope

Miscellaneous

For this section, we are going to look at some pieces of equipment that didn't fall under the previous two categories, but are just as important!

1. Ring stand: Used to hold equipment, such as glassware

Fig.9- A ring stand

2. Buret clamp: Used to clamp in place burets

Fig.10-A stand with a buret clamp

3. Utility clamp: Used to hold glassware. Usually attached to a ring stand

Fig.11- Two utility clamps attached to a stand

4. Crucible tongs: Used to grasp hot things

• Often used with a crucible, which is a small porcelain container used to hold hot substances

Fig.12-Crucible tongs

5. Wash bottle: Plastic bottles used to dispense liquid, usually for cleaning

• Wash bottles often have distilled water, which is pure water without any minerals or impurities

Fig.13- Different wash bottles

6. Watch glass: A glass plate used to place substances

• Watch glasses are often put on hot plates to heat the substance on it

Fig.14- A watch glass containing sodium chloride (NaCl)

Chemistry lab safety equipment

After looking at those long lists of chemistry equipment, you might be wondering, "But what about safety equipment?"

Safety is of the utmost importance in the lab. While working in the lab, you might end up coming into contact with some dangerous chemicals! Below is a list of the personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to keep you safe in the lab.

1. Eye protection: Goggles or Eyeglasses are worn to protect the eyes from any chemicals that might get in them.
   • Even if you wear glasses, you still need to wear eye protection since they have a higher safety standard
2. Lab coats: Lab coats protect your clothes and skin from any harmful irritants
   • Not all labs require lab coats, but it is always best to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to cover the skin
3. Gloves: Protective gloves protect your hands from harmful irritants.

But what about when something goes wrong? There are also several pieces of equipment in the lab to be used in case of an emergency. The location of these pieces of equipment can differ between labs, so always ask someone where each is located before performing any experiments.

1. Fire extinguishers: Used to put out any fires
2. Eyewash stations: Used to flush out harmful chemicals from the eyes
3. Safety showers: Used to wash off irritants from the skin and clothes

To learn more about the different Lab Safety equipment, please read our article "Lab Safety".

Organic chemistry lab equipment

When working in a more specialized lab, you will of course see more specialized equipment.

Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-based compounds. Organic chemists focus on understanding the structure, properties, and reactions of these carbon-based compounds.

Some equipment organic chemists use is:

• Photoelectron spectrometer: Measures the energies of electrons emitted from different substances
• IR spectrometer: Measures the vibration and rotation of covalent bonds
• Proton nuclear magnetic resonance: Used to determine the structure of organic molecules

Not every organic chemistry lab will have these specific devices, but they are widely used.

Analytical chemistry lab equipment

Analytical Chemistry uses instruments to quantify and understand different properties of matter. Analytical chemistry relies heavily on different analytical machinery, so there is plenty of specialized lab equipment for this purpose. Some of these are:

• Gas chromatographers: Used to separate and analyze samples that have been vaporized
• High-powered liquid chromatographers: Used to separate and analyze components in a mixture
• Mass spectrometers: Measures the mass-to-charge ratio of molecules/elements in a sample

Analytical chemistry is all about measurements, so there is a lot of different equipment to choose from. The equipment in the previous section could also be used for analytical chemistry. Labs often combine different subtopics of chemistry, which is why you may analytical tools in an organic chemistry lab and so on.