Exercise 2: Basic

Equipment and
Glassware Used in
the Laboratory

BIOCHEMISTRY (LABORATORY)
Mairre Louie D. Punsalan, RPh
Alignment of CLOs to MLOs
Module/Topic
Course Learning Outcome
Learning Outcomes
Identify and describe the
commonly used laboratory
Utilize knowledge of
equipment and glass wares.
principles and concepts of
biochemistry in the practice
Demonstrate accuracy in
of allied health professions.
performing the different basic
laboratory techniques.
Outline
•Meniscus
•Basic Laboratory Apparatus
•Distillation Setup
•Separation of Mixture
How to Read a Meniscus
§Meniscus is a curved formed on the upper surface
of a liquid inside a container.

§Why meniscus occurred?

§ Adhesion is responsible for a meniscus and this has to do
in part with water's fairly high surface tension.
How to Read a Meniscus
§To read a meniscus, you first need to see what type
of meniscus your liquid forms. If the meniscus is a
concave meniscus, read at the lowest level of the
curve. If the meniscus is convex, take your
measurement at the highest point of the curve.
How to Read a
Meniscus
Tips in reading colored

Lo
Up

we
pe
and colorless solution:

r
r
§For colored solution, use
the upper meniscus.

§For colorless solution, use

the lower meniscus.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Beaker
§Useful as a reaction container or to hold liquid or
solid samples.
§They are also used to catch liquids from titrations
and filtrates from filtering operations.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Bunsen Burner
§Generally used to rapidly heat high-boiling liquid
with low flammability.
§It is one of the source heat in the lab.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Bunsen Burner

Three types of flames:

Safety flame
§ The "coolest" flame is a yellow / orange color. It is
approximately 300°C. It is never used to heat anything,
only to show that the Bunsen burner is on.
§ Also known as Luminous flame.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Bunsen Burner

Three types of flames:

Blue flame
§ It can reach temperatures of approximately 500°C and is
almost invisible in a bright room.
§ Most commonly used flame.
§ Also known as Non-luminous flame.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Bunsen Burner

Three types of flames:

Roaring blue flame
§ It is characterized by a bright blue triangle in the center of
the flame and can reach temperatures of around 700oC.
 Difference between Luminous and Non-
Luminous Flame
Luminous Flame Non-Luminous Flame

Bright yellow in color and are sooty light blue in color and are not sooty

Flames are not steady Flames are steady.

Flames are not very hot flames are very hot (Produce more heat).

Produces more light flames produce little light.

Do not burn more efficiently. Luminous flames

Non-luminous flames burn more efficiently
do not get enough oxygen to turn all the
because they are able to combine all their
carbon that is being burnt into carbon
carbon with oxygen.
dioxide.
 Difference between Luminous and Non-
Luminous Flame
Luminous Flame Non-Luminous Flame

Luminous flames have limited access to Non-luminous flames have unlimited access
oxygen. to oxygen..

Non-luminous flames are hardly visible and

Luminous flames are wavy and brightly visible
less wavy.

Non-Luminous flames are most preferably

Luminous flames are not used in experiments
used in experiments (laboratory operations)
(not best for laboratory operations) because
because they are hot, not sooty, and less
it is wavy and sooty in nature.
wavy and hence easy to control.

In a Bunsen burner, luminous flame is formed In a Bunsen burner, non-luminous flames are
when the air-hole is closed. formed when the air-hole is opened.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Burets
§It is used for addition of a precise volume of liquid.
§The volume of liquid added can be determined to
the nearest 0.01 mL with practice.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Clay Triangle
§It is placed on a ring attached to a ring stand as a
support for a funnel, crucible, or evaporating dish.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Crucible with cover
§A small clay cup made of a material that can
withstand extreme temperatures.
§They are used for heating substances and come
with lids.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Dropper
§Used for addition of liquid drop by drop.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Erlenmeyer Flask
§Used to hold and mix chemicals. The small neck is to
facilitate mixing without spilling.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Evaporating Dish
§Shallow open containers used for the evaporation
of solutions and supernatant liquids to produce a
concentrated solution or a solid precipitate of the
dissolved substance.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Glass Funnel
§Used to transfer liquids or fine-grained materials into
containers with small openings.
§It is also used for filtration.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Graduated Cylinder
§Used to measure precise volume of liquids.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Hot Plate
§Used as a source of heat when an open flame is not
desirable.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Mortar and Pestle
§Sets to crush up solid chemicals into smaller pieces,
or to grind solids into fine powder.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Volumetric Pipette
§Used to measure small amounts of liquid very
accurately.
§Never pipette by mouth! Use pipetting aids.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Ring Stand, Rings & Clamps
§The ring stand is used to suspend burets, beakers,
flasks, crucible, etc. above other containers, or in
some cases, a heat source (such as Bunsen burner).
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Test Tubes
§Used to hold and mix small samples.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Test Tubes Holder
§Used for holding test tubes when tubes should not
be touched.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Test Tubes Rack
§Used to hold upright multiple test tubes at the same
time.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Volumetric Flask
§ A round flask with a long neck and flat bottom.
§ It is used to measure an exact volume of liquid. There is a small line
on the neck the indicates how far to fill the bottle.
§ They come with special caps that will not let anything in or out.
Basic Laboratory Apparatus:
Watch Glass
§A round piece of glass that is slightly
concave/convex.
§They are used for evaporation purposes and also
can function as a lid for a beaker.
Distillation Setup
Video Link for your reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tj8zo7Id7s

Distillation is the process of separating the

components or substances from a
liquid mixture by using
selective boiling and condensation.
 Separation of Mixture using
Separatory Funnel Setup

Non-polar solvent

Polar solvent
References:
§ https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/chemical-
safety/basics/glassware-and-equipment.html
§ https://owlcation.com/stem/A-Chemistry-Guide-List-of-Common-
Laboratory-Equipment-Names-and-Uses
§ https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-
school/science/water-meniscus?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-
science_center_objects