Module 1
Common Laboratory Apparatus/Equipment
1. Safety gear - one of the major things we
often ignore is wearing a safety gear.
-This includes goggles, a pair of latex gloves
and a lab coat
-Doesn’t only make you look cool or feel like
a responsible scientist but also protects you
from all kinds of chemicals you may be
coming into contact with knowingly and
unknowingly
2.Electronic balance – used for measuring
mass of a substance or chemical
-usually consists of a pan on which you can
place the substance you want to measure
-this generates current proportional to the
displacement of the pan due to the pull of
gravity which then translates into the
displayed reading
-the electronic balance is a simple yet one of
the most important equipment that should
be present in any laboratory
3. Ring stand - used as a support to clamp
laboratory glassware and other equipment
in place so it does not fall down or come
apart
4. Ring clamp- used with a ring stands to
hold glassware such as a beaker of a funnel
5. Wire gauze- may have a fiber glass or
ceramic center used to support a container
such as a beaker on a ring stand while it is
being heated
6. Bunsen burner- be careful not to put
flammable materials like cloth or chemicals
like aromatic compounds such as petrol
anywhere near it or this may erupt a fire
7.Beaker- a beaker is glass apparatus used
to hold, mix, and heat liquids
8. Beaker tongs- metallic and looks like a
scissors’ older sibling
-Is used to handle beakers
9.Crucible- a ceramic pot used to hold
chemicals during heating at very high
temperatures
10.Clay triangle- a metallic triangle used to
support a crucible during heating
11.Crucible tongs- used to hold crucibles
12. Evaporating dish- a wide ceramic dish
used to heat liquids for evaporation
13. Utility clamp- a metallic clamp used to
secure glassware to a ring stand
14.Burette- a long glass graduated tube with
a tap around it
-is used for dispensing an accurate volume
of a liquid and measuring its discharge
15.Conical flask- also known as the
Erlenmeyer flask
-a glassware that has a narrow neck that
expands towards its base
-used to hold and mix chemicals
-the small neck is to facilitate mixing without
spilling
16.Test tube- a glass tube with a round base
used to hold and mix liquids
-needs a steel rack or a clamp to hold it
17.Pipette bulb- a round rubber bulb used
to draw liquids into a pipe
18.Forceps- used to pick up or hold small
objects
Module 1
Common Laboratory Apparatus/Equipment
19.Mortar and pestle- used to crush and Glassware is generally separated into two
grinds materials types:
-You may have seen something similar in
your kitchen
20. Scoopula- used to transfer solids
-Looks similar to a spoon
21. Stirring rod- used for stirring and mixing
and is usually made of glass
22. Funnel- it is used to transfer liquids or
fine-grained materials into containers with
small openings
-Also used for filtration
23. Volumetric flask- is a round flask with a
long neck and a flat bottom
-It is used prepare solutions to an accurate
volume
-There is a small line on the neck that
indicates how far to fill the bottle
-They come with special caps to prevent
contamination and leaks
24.Volumetric pipette- this comprises of a
graduated glass tube that is used to
measure an exact volume of liquid, be sure
to use pipetting aids for precision mixing
25.Graduated cylinder- used to measure a
precise volume of a liquid
26.Wash bottle- used to rinse pieces of
glassware and to add small quantities of
water
1. To contain glassware -refers to glassware
that is used to contain a certain amount of
volume
- is designed to contain liquids
-between transferring liquids, it delivers less
than the indicated volume due to the liquids
clinging to the sides
•Volumetric flasks- contain a precise
volume at a particular temperature and can
be found in different volumes and sizes.
-Solutions are made up until the graduation
line which indicates the desired volume
-The volumetric flask is used to dilute
samples precisely and for the preparation of
standard solutions
•Beaker- has a cylindrical shape with a flat
bottom and is available in a wide range of
sizes
-A beaker is used for stirring, mixing, or
heating liquids and is not used for precise
measurements.
•Conical flask- it possesses a flat base,
conical body, and a cylindrical neck
-A conical flask is found in different volumes
-This glassware is also not for accurate
volumetric measurements but is used to mix
contents by swirling without the risk of
spillage
-One example of this is during a titration
•Measuring cylinder- is used to measure a
certain volume of liquid but Is not as precise
as a pipette of burette
Module 1
Common Laboratory Apparatus/Equipment
-Is found in different volumes - A single graduated ring indicates the
calibrated volume, for example, 20.00
-The volume of the measuring cylinder is
milliliters
found here (above)
•Burette -a volumetric burette delivers a
•Weighing bottle- is used for the precise
measured volume of solutions
weighing of solids
-The flow of the liquid is controlled by the
•Test tubes- long u- shaped glassware that
stopcock valve/ tap
is open at the top and closed at the bottom
-Burettes are available in different sizes
- are used for qualitative experiments
-A burette is usually used during a titration
- are used to mix, hold, and heat solutions
and then observe the changes -The volume is recorded to two decimal
places, for example, 25.56 ml

➢ General apparatus-are pieces of

2. To deliver glassware- refers to the
glassware that is designed to deliver a
precise volume
- They are designed to contain a little more
solution than the indicated volume so as to
deliver the precise volume stated on the
glassware
- This is due to some of the liquids sticking
to the sides of the glassware
• Pipette- is used to measure a volume of
solution with extreme precision
- This is done by using a pro-pipette to suck
up the solution
- are found in different sizes
- should be recorded as 20.00 milliliters
- This value indicates the expel time
- Once all the solution has been expelled,
you will need to continue to expel for
approximately this period of time to ensure
that you have delivered all of a liquid
apparatus which you will be used in
your experimental practical
•Glass rod- a glass rod is used to mix
chemicals and liquids and to develop mass
paper with solution to determine pH
•Mortar and pestle- is used for grinding and
crashing samples into powder
-The mortar is the bowl, the pestle is the
object that is used for grinding and crashing
samples
•Evaporating dish- is used for the
evaporation of the solution
•Wire gauze- while gauze is placed between
the beaker and the tripod to support the
beaker while heating the solution with a
Bunsen burner
•Thermometer- measures the temperature
of a solution
-The bulb of the thermometer should be
immersed in the solution and the bub
should not touch the bottom of the
glassware
Module 1
Common Laboratory Apparatus/Equipment
-If needed, the thermometer can be secured
with clamp
•Glass funnel- gas a wide mouth and narrow
stem
-A glass funnel is used when a solution or a
solid need to be added to a flask or a burette
without spilling
•Watch glass- is a circular concave piece of
glass
-It can be used to cover the mouth of the
beaker of to weigh out a solid in the absence
of a weighing bottle
•Test tube peg- a peg that has an extended
handle
-Is used while heating the test tube to
prevent burning oneself
What glasswares to use?
•Beakers- measure volumes and substances
and our basic staples for any lab
-They are also used to hold, mix, stir, heat,
and pour liquids necessary in the
preparation of solutions
-Beakers are also used to store solids and
liquids during an experiment, however
beakers are not as accurate as graduated
cylinders are in measure volume
•Graduated cylinders -are great tools for
more precise measurements of liquid
volumes
-They also measure the volume of
irregularly shaped objects by water
displacement
-In a graduated cylinder, the bottom of the
meniscus, the curve that forms at the top of
the liquid column indicates the volume of
the liquid
-are also able to measure gases by inverting
a graduated cylinder filled with water and
submerging its opening in water
•Erlenmeyer flask-the design if Erlenmeyer
flasks creates a low center gravity making
them the perfect vessels for mixing, stirring,
stirring, holding, and heating solutions
-due to its large volume and small surface
area, this type of flask minimizes
evaporative loss and can be temporarily
closed with the appropriately cork of rubber
stopper
-Are also useful in titrations as a container
for the solution being titrated
-To demonstrate gas produced in a chemical
reaction, place a balloon over the opening
of the flask to capture the gas. This serves as
a great visual demonstration of gas
production for students
•Test tubes- are perfect to hold, mix, or heat
small quantities of solids or liquids for
qualitative experiments, essays, serial
dilutions, and small volume reactions
-are also useful to observe colorful liquids,
color changes and the formation of
precipitates
-Like with Erlenmeyer flask, appropriately
sized stoppers can close test tubes
temporarily
-the size of test tubes allows for easy and
efficient storage in your lab