Chemistry

Beaker Definition and Uses

In this post, you are going to learn about the Beaker step by step with Diagrams.

This post Also includes:beaker diagram

  • An overview of Beakers
  • What is the use of beakers?
  • What is the meaning of Beaker?
  • Lots more

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Let’s Dive right in..

A beaker is a common laboratory apparatus used in chemical laboratories and medical experiments.  it is also a prehistoric drinking vessel and often used as a beverage container. It is a piece of cylindrical shape equipment or container with a flat bottom having a small spout for aid pouring. Beakers are available in different sizes and a variety of ranges like single millimeters to seral millimeters.

glass beakers can be heated under the stove or bunsen burner at high temperatures. instead of plastic-type. Unlike flasks, beakers have straight sides.

It is slightly different from the conical flask due to having a straight slide rather than sloping slides. there are also sloping sided beakers which are known as Philips beakers but most of the drink shaped beakers are common and similar to each other.

The modern type of Beakers are often made with borosilicate glass and also some are made with metals like aluminum or stainless steel. many of them are also made with a heat-resistant plastic or non-corrosive materials such as polypropylene, polythene, and PTFE, etc.  polypropylene beakers are seen often during gamma spectral analysis of liquid and solid samples.

Construction and uses of Beakers

the standard beakers are often present in height of 1.4 then its diameter. John Joseph Griffin discovered first the common form of the beaker with a spout at the upper end. hence, it is often called Griffin beaker too.

these are common characteristics of beakers and used for various purposes in the laboratory like decanting supernatant fluids to holding waste fluids prior to disposal to performing simple reactions and preparing different solutions.

performing different chemical experiments are more likely with the help of Low form beakers. on the other hand, Tall-form beakers have a height about twice their diameter rather than simple form. the tall form often called Berzelius beakers which are used in the process of titration.

there is also a third type of beakers i.e, Flat beakers which are known as crystallizers and used to perform crystallization. the flat-beakers are also used as a vessel for hot-bath heating and they do not have a  flat scale on their walls.

since a spout is present on the upper side of the beakers hence they do not have a lid. to prevent contamination or loss of the contents, they are covered by a watch glass by allowing venting via the spout.

all types of beakers are graduated which is marked with lines on the sides which indicates the amount or volume of solutions contained in it.

for example, a 250 mL container can be marked as 50 nL, 100 mL, 150 mL, 200 mL, 250 mL, etc. one thing must keep in mind that these devices are not made for the precise volumes of liquids. instead, graduated cylinders or conical flasks are used for accurate volumes. beakers are used for estimated volumes that are accurate up to 10% of accuracy.

How to use beakers?

the liquid you want to do experiment with, pour into the beaker slowly so that it does not splash out from the container. for an approximate volume of liquid, use always measuring lines on the wall of the beaker. use a spoon or stirrer inside the beaker to stir liquids.

now it’s time to heat the liquid in an appropriate way. to do so, keep the center of the beaker under the open flame of the bunsen burner for heating the liquids. always avoid to not fill the beaker 1/3 while heating. for handling the hot beaker always use safety tongs.  after heating, pour the liquid slowly from the lip around the top of the beaker

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