The glass funnel is a type of funnel used in laboratories, mostly chemistry. The funnel is a commonly used instrument that consists of a hollow body with two ends of different lengths, one of which stands out for being wider than the other. It can be found made of different materials and one of them is glass.
What is the Glass Funnel?
The glass funnel is a laboratory instrument designed to transfer chemicals . In the laboratory it is common to find that most instruments are made of glass or porcelain due to their qualities that make them ideal materials for dealing with chemical substances.
Glass is an inorganic material created from silica sand, sodium carbonate and limestone worked at temperatures of 1500 ° C. You should know that you should not confuse glass with crystal, in the case of glass it is a non-amorphous solid, while glass is amorphous and is derived from ceramic.
There are different types of glass but to be used to make laboratory materials, glass must meet certain requirements, which is why ordinary glass is used , made of soda, which is sodium hydroxide and lime, calcium oxide. Also it used the pyrex glass , silicon oxide made and boron; being the latter the most used for the elaboration of the materials; this thanks to the fact that boron provides great resistance to thermal shock.
What is the Glass Funnel for?
The funnels have two functions, the main one that corresponds to their design is to transfer substances . That is, passing a liquid from one container to another (usually of different sizes). The other function that was applied to it due to its characteristics is that of filtering , thereby facilitating the filtering of substances by performing two actions in one step.
Uses of the Glass Funnel
The glass funnel is used in the same way as the funnels of other materials, for filtering and transferring substances; mainly in the areas of biology, pharmacy and chemistry. However, what differentiates it from funnels made with other materials is its resistance to working with certain types of corrosive chemicals or at high temperatures.
For example, several Büchner funnels are made from pyrex glass; this due to the type of substances with which it works. Many times you cannot wait for a substance to cool down before storing it, either to avoid reactions or because it is part of the procedure, so glass funnels are required in these cases to resist thermal shock.
Types of glass funnels
There are many types of funnels, as over time they have undergone small variations in design to suit the different needs that arise as methods of dealing with substances advance. These funnels not only vary in design but also in materials, which is why I mention below the funnels that are made of glass :
Filtration funnels
Standard conical shape, used to filter liquid by gravity. They also come in plastic but their production is mostly in glass.
Embudo Büchner
To perform vacuum filtration, extracting the solid. The two materials in which it is made are glass and porcelain to resist temperatures and pressure.
Settling funnel
This is the most particular shaped funnel, found only in glass it is used to separate immiscible liquids, usually to extract a solute from a solvent.
These funnels are usually associated with other instruments, such as flasks that are mostly also made of glass. The other materials used to make funnels are plastic, glass, and porcelain, the latter two being preferred for laboratory equipment.
Glass Funnel Features
The funnels, although they have variations, all have a hollow body and ends of different lengths, because that is basically the principle of the instrument; and the material in which it is made does not change that fact. Having previously mentioned the different types of glass funnels, I will proceed to tell you about the characteristics that differentiate them from funnels made of other material:
Refractory
Ability to withstand high temperatures without decomposing.
Low thermal expansion
In other words, the volume of the instrument does not vary with the change in temperature.
Chemical resistance
Resistance to corrosion, erosion and impregnation that different chemicals can cause on a surface.
Dielectric strength
Resistance to a certain amount of voltage without damage to the material.
Zero porosity
Its waterproof surface prevents it from being impregnated with substance residues.
However, remember that the measurements of these characteristics depend on the type of glass from which the funnel is made. For example, common glass has a lower chemical resistance capacity than borosilicate glass, which contains in its composition between 70 and 80% sand and 13% boron trioxide.
Another type of glass that is also often used to manufacture laboratory funnels is allusciminicate glass , excellent for working with alkalis and although it is a little less resistant than borosilicate glass , it is easier to manufacture and is also very efficient. and it has great resistance.
Importance of the glass funnel
The funnel is an instrument widely used in various areas and the chemical laboratory is one of the main ones that uses it. The need to manufacture glass funnels is given to reduce the risk of a substance altering or damaging an instrument due to its material. Due to this and thanks to the ideal characteristics of the material, it was chosen to make laboratory funnels with glass.
In the same way that the tires of a car could not be made of glass since the material would not allow the vehicle to function, the funnels that are used to work with chemical substances cannot be made of an inappropriate material or it would compromise the integrity of the vehicle so much. used as the success of the operation to be performed.
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.