Among the instruments that exist in the laboratory, none is as recognized and used as the Beaker. I bet everyone has ever heard and even manipulated it, since despite having many functions it is one of the safest elements.
But how much do you really know about the Beaker? Perhaps a lot or very little, but the truth is that it would take many years of research to know all its aspects, however, I tried to elucidate the most important ones and I will present them to you in the following lines.
What is a Beaker?
A beaker is nothing more than a container made of resistant and transparent material, which works as the ideal setting for carrying out a large number of reactions.
The name of Precipitate comes from being this perhaps its initial function, it is necessary to remember that a precipitate is the solid obtained at the end of a crystallization of solutions, there is even a type of glass called a Crystallizer.
However, as time has passed, it has specialized and encompasses more fields, until it has become the universal instrument that it is today.
What is a Beaker for?
The Beaker pursues many objectives within the laboratory , among which they can be named:
- Be used as a container , that is, to store different substances for short periods of time.
- It is a heat resistant container, ideal when you need to heat a compound directly both on the tripod and lighter, as well as on the universal support.
- You can mix, dilute and dissolve substances inside, since it is a resistant and completely neutral container.
- As its name states it allows to obtain precipitates.
- It makes it easy to pour substances from one container to another with complete safety thanks to its spout.
- You can transport substances easily and safely.
All the functions that you can perform enjoy complete ease and safety of manipulation. However, when dealing with harmful elements, it is necessary and important to comply with the regulations and safety implements to avoid direct contact that triggers health problems.
How does a beaker work?
The Beaker does not have a mechanized operating mechanism, it will all depend on the final function that you want to give to this instrument.
In general, it is based on pouring a substance to measure it quickly or to heat it later, if your purpose is the second you must place it on a grid and under this grid place the tripod and the Bunsen burner.
Simply put, the glass becomes the setting for all the necessary reactions to take place.
Uses of the Beaker
The uses of the Beaker are destined to obtain and generate chemical reactions in this space, because as I mentioned before, all the conditions are propitiated for them to occur correctly.
You have to know that the Beaker turns all its forces and qualities to solve problems within the chemistry laboratory .
Due to this, it intervenes directly in heating reactions , separation of substances , to crystallize components inside, to generate precipitates and finally to be a container for short periods of different substances.
It is a transcendental element, capable of working with almost any type of substance and generating any type of phenomenon.
Types of Beakers
Beakers have a very widespread classification, although it is difficult to believe, because at first glance it seems only a glass with graduation. However, they are differentiated by the material with which they are made, by the structure as such and by the capacity they have. From now on you have the goal of detailing a little more to these beakers which are classified:
According to the capacity
Precipitate Vessels from 50 ml to 100 ml:
In this case, there are only two glasses with 50 ml or 100 ml sizes . If you have to measure something less than 50 ml you use the first one and if it is more you use the second model of glass.
250 ml to 500 ml Precipitate Vessels:
Like the previous one, the glasses are not between intervals but there is a 250ml and a 500ml glass . Which allows you to measure substances between the two using the corresponding glasses.
Although many recommend, for example, if you want to measure 300 ml, use one of 250 ml and one of 50 ml, because when they are used at their maximum capacity the measurements are more accurate.
Precipitate Vessels from 600 ml to 1000 ml:
For measuring large quantities of substances, they are the largest beakers in the entire laboratory.
According to the manufacturing material
Borosilicate glass beakers :
As its name establishes, Borosilicate glass is a modification of conventional glass, which includes oxides belonging to these two elements, Boron and Silicon, which provides it with greater durability , a transparent polished design and better resistance. at lower weight.
Common Glass Beakers:
They were perhaps the first beakers to hit the market, they are made from the glass that we conventionally know. The reason is that this glass is capable of withstanding extreme thermal variations and has an increased resistance to different types of substances that are added to it.
Specialized Plastic Beakers:
It is the cheap beaker, as it is made from plastic that has some specializations to give it greater resistance.
According to the functional structure
Type A Beakers or Griffin Beaker:
It is the most common type of glass of all , as it has a wide variation in terms of sizes, capacities and of course materials, it was created by William Colvin Griffin. This instrument is characterized by its height that is lower than the base , thick edges and presents a peak that allows the controlled exit of substances.
Type B Beaker or Berzelius Beaker:
Unlike the Griffin, these glasses are taller than they are wide, they were created by a chemist from Sweden named Jöns Jacob Berzelius. This model is ideal when you are working with electrodes and they are characterized because some of them do not have a spout to pour substances.
Type C Beaker, Flat Beaker or Crystallizer:
They are characterized by not having a measurement scale on their surface and not presenting a peak. They are used mainly not to measure, but to make reactions of crystallization or heating of compounds before the Bunsen burner.
In short, given their importance, the types of beaker have diversified, because over the years they have motivated people to innovate with them and to try new experimental procedures.
Characteristics of a Beaker
The beakers represent an essential element in any laboratory, thanks to the infinity of characteristics they have, which give them the ability to achieve many things and to be the scene of innumerable reactions. These are its main characteristics:
- It is an object that has a cylindrical shape and its base is flat to be able to be stable anywhere on its own.
- It is perhaps the most versatile laboratory instrument , since it can intervene in almost all the reactions that are carried out, from different approaches.
- Some models have a graduation on the back, however they are not calibrated so you will not take perfect measurements like other higher precision instruments do.
- Most models have a spout that allows you to pour the internal substances into another container in a controlled manner, to avoid spillage of the same.
- They are made only from glass or plastic, because they are transparent elements that allow you to see through them how substances behave at any given time.
- They have components that prevent corrosion of the container, such as Teflon.
- Conventional models are based on milliliters, as you could see in the classification, however there are some that exceed a liter in capacity.
It is an almost exclusive element of chemistry laboratories, since it is in this field where chemical reactions are carried out with different substances, further projecting the importance of this instrument.
Importance of the Beaker
The importance of this instrument in laboratories is vital, because as I have been mentioning to you, it intervenes in almost all the processes that take place there.
It is also a very safe and easy-to-use element, being perhaps one of the first to be handled in the laboratories of educational establishments and given its practicality it is used with greater emphasis in all procedures at this scale.
Finally, the significance of this element is thanks to the expansion that it has managed to achieve since its birth, positioning itself as an easily accessible instrument in all laboratories worldwide.
Born and raised in Brussels in an English family, I have always lived in a multicultural environment. After several work experiences in marketing and communication, I came to Smart Water Magazine, which I describe as the most exciting challenge of my career.
I am a person with great restlessness and curiosity to learn, discover what I do not know, as well as reinvent myself daily, someone who is curious about life and wants to know. I enjoy sharing knowledge.
This is my personal project but I also collaborate in other blogs, it is the case, the most important web on water currently exists in the US, if you are interested you can read my articles here.