Laboratory Apparatus

 Glassware

 Other common laboratory apparatus

 Measurement
Time

 Time can be measured using a stopwatch or stopclock which are usually accurate to one or two
decimal places.
 The units of time normally used are seconds or minutes although other units may be used for
extremely slow reactions (e.g. rusting).
 1 minute = 60 seconds.

Exam Tip
 Generally, reaction times are recorded in minutes or seconds but not both.
 A common mistake is to record time in minutes and seconds rather than just in seconds.

Temperature

 Temperature is measured using a thermometer which can normally give readings to the
nearest degree or half degree. Digital thermometers are available which are more accurate.
 The units of temperature are degrees Celsius (ºC).

Mass

 Mass is measured using a digital balance which normally gives readings to two decimal
places. These must be tared (set to zero) before use.
 The standard unit of mass is kilograms (kg) but in chemistry grams (g) are most often used.
 1 kilogram = 1000 grams
 Volume-liquids

 For approximate volumes where accuracy isn´t an important factor, measuring cylinders are
used. These are graduated (have a scale so can be used to measure) and are available in 25
cm3, 50 cm3, 100 cm3 and 250 cm3.
 Pipettes are the most accurate way of measuring a fixed volume of liquid, usually 10 cm3 or 25
cm3.
 Burettes are the most accurate way of measuring a variable volume of liquid between 0
cm3 and 50  cm3 (e.g. in a titration).

Diagram of a burette with conical flask and pipette with filler

Accuracy of burettes and measuring cylinders

 Burettes have an accuracy of 0.1cm 3 which means that when you are taking a burette reading it
should be done to one decimal place, i.e. 25.1cm3 and not 25 cm3.
 Measuring cylinders are used to measuring larger volumes and have an accuracy of 2cm 3.

Exam Tip
 It is a common error for students to confuse the initial burette readings with final burette
readings.
 Be very careful when reading and recording your results, the final reading should always
be greater than the initial reading.

Volume-gases
 A gas syringe is usually the apparatus used.
 A graduated cylinder inverted in water may also be used, provided the gas isn’t water soluble.
 If the gas happens to be heavier than air and is coloured, the cylinder can be used upright.

Diagram of the set-up for an experiment involving gas collection

Safety

 Questions on safety ask you to determine:

o The source of the risk
o The precaution you recommend taking
o The reason for the precaution
 NEXT
CIE IGCSE Chemistry Notes
 12.1 SULFUR
 2.1 MEASUREMENT
 8.1 THE CHARACTERISTIC PROPERTIES OF ACIDS AND BASES
 2.2.1 PURITY: CRITERIA OF PURITY
 7.2 RATE (SPEED) OF REACTION
 7.3 REVERSIBLE REACTIONS
 7.4 REDOX
 PRACTICAL TEST
o LABORATORY APPARATUS, MEASUREMENT, SAFETY
o TABLES, DATA AND GRAPHS
o PRACTICAL SKILLS
o COMMON EXPERIMENTS
o EXPERIMENTAL UNCERTAINTY AND ERRORS
o QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
o PLANNING AN INVESTIGATION
 ALTERNATIVE TO PRACTICAL
 EQUATIONS