NurBio – Nursing Biochemistry

Laboratory Report

The Bunsen Burner

Activity No. 1

RATIONALE
Fire and the ability to generate heat are significant concepts in both everyday life and the laboratory. We
couldn't cook or remain warm in the cold without fire and heat. In the laboratory, fire and heat are
frequently required to facilitate a chemical reaction or other types of matter transformation. The Bunsen
burner is a piece of typical laboratory equipment that creates a bright, sootless, non-luminous flame. It
was named after and co-designed by Robert Bunsen in 1854. The Bunsen Burner provides for exact
control of gas and oxygen mixing in its central barrel prior to combustion, which ignites the flame. The
size and temperature of the flame may be changed by adjusting the Bunsen burner.

The heat from a Bunsen burner flame, for example, can be utilized to create a convection current, which
heats the space above the flame and pulls any particulates in the air up and away from the cooler air
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Natural Sciences Department, College of Science and Information Technology, Ateneo de Zamboanga University
Nursing Biochemistry
Laboratory Report

beneath it, keeping the work area sterile. Taking the effort to learn how to use a Bunsen burner and what
safety items to keep on hand will allow us to utilize this valuable laboratory tool safely and confidently.
The activity also helps us grasp the significance of the Bunsen burner, how to handle it safely, and
become more accustomed to the laboratory equipment.

The following are the objectives for this activity:

1. To learn proper Bunsen burner safety procedures.

2. To become familiar with the Bunsen burner and its flame.
3. To identify the parts and functions of the Bunsen burner.

DATA INTERPRETATION
Table No. 1

Interpretation: Interpret the data in the above table here. Discuss what is means and its significance. If a
chemical reaction has occurred, include the chemical equation here.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

1. What are the functions of the gas valve, the air holes and the barrel?

ANSWER: The gas valve, the air holes, and the barrel are three of the major parts of a
Bunsen burner. The gas valve is responsible for allowing gas into the barrel via the collar. It
is frequently attached to the burner's or screw's base. The air holes, on the other hand, enable
air into the burner to create a mixture of air and gas or any other liquid fuel with air, such as
petroleum. Also, the barrel is a 5-inch-long tube. It contains air intake openings that mix air
and gas together. It is a metal tube that sits on the burner's base. The barrel has small holes
(air intakes) that open at the bottom, enabling air into the barrel. When natural gas and air
enter the barrel without passing through the air intake opening, the gas and air mixture ignites
through the top end of the barrel, causing it to function.

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Laboratory Report

2.  Is “presentability” the only reason why the laboratory Bunsen burner is cleaned? What
other reason is there?

ANSWER: Bunsen burners are utilized as a source of heat in scientific experiments. Bunsen
burners produce a hot, clean, blue flame by combining air and fuel before combustion.
Bunsen burners may become clogged with debris after extended usage and cease to perform
properly. Cleaning blockages on a Bunsen burner on a regular basis is required to keep it in
excellent operating order. It is also vital to keep the Bunsen burner clean in order to maintain
the greatest and long-lasting functioning efficiency of the Bunsen burner.

3. The operation of the Bunsen burner is laid out in specifics. Why should the steps be
followed strictly?

ANSWER: Bunsen burners are a fire hazard and should be used with caution. They emit an
open flame and burn at a high temperature, which increases the risk of an accident. For the
safety and convenience of everyone working in a laboratory, it is critical that the following
guidelines and steps are properly followed.

4. Explain the ratio of fuel to air (oxygen) to produce a non-luminous (blue) flame?

ANSWER: The Bunsen burner is made up of a metal tube on a base with a gas inlet at the
bottom end of the tube that may include an adjusting valve; openings in the tube's sides can
be controlled by a collar to admit as much air as required. The mixture of air and gas (ideally
1 part gas to 3 parts air) is driven to the top of the tube by gas pressure and ignited with a
match. It burns with a pale blue flame, seen as a small inner cone, and a secondary, almost
colorless flame, seen as a bigger, outer cone, which arises from the leftover gas being totally
oxidized by the surrounding air. With too much air, the gas mixture will entirely burn,
generating a pale blue flame known as non-luminous. When the Bunsen's air-hole is open, a
non-luminous flame appears. When the air-hole of the Bunsen burner is fully opened,
sufficient air enters the Bunsen burner barrel and combines well with the coal gas, resulting
in considerably faster and complete gas combustion. With very little or no soot, the flame is
smaller and hotter. There is no light because there is no white-hot carbon.

5. The scorched regions of the cardboard indicate the varying intensities of heat. What is the
practical value for this knowledge?

ANSWER: A thoroughly wet piece of cardboard was placed and rested on the top of the
burner until it began to char in order to detect and characterize the distinct regions of a flame.

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Laboratory Report

The charred pieces of the cardboard were used to identify the different regions of the flame:
the outer zone, the inner zone, the tip inner zone, which was identified as the hottest point of
the flame, and the cool inner zone, which was identified as the coolest area of the flame.

CONCLUSION

Bunsen burners are utilized as a source of heat in scientific experiments. They produce a hot, clean, blue
flame by combining air and fuel before combustion. Cleaning blockages on a Bunsen burner on a regular
basis is required to keep it in excellent working order. When the Bunsen burner's air-hole is open, a non-
luminous flame appears. With very little or no soot, the flame is smaller and hotter. There is no light
because there is no white-hot carbon to reflect light.

REFERENCES

10 difference between luminous and non-luminous flame (with parts). (n.d.). BIOCHEMINSIDER.
Retrieved from https://biocheminsider.com/difference-between-luminous-and-non-luminous-
flames/ 

Bunsen burner instruction and maintenance manual. (n.d.). dentalfarm. Retrieved from
https://www.dentalfarm.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/A4703-04-INSTR.-MANUAL-
BUNSEN.pdf 

Bunsen burner parts and their functions. (n.d.). ExamplesPedia. Retrieved from
https://examplespedia.com/parts-of-bunsen-burner/ 

Bunsen Burner Safety Guidelines. (n.d.). WPI. Retrieved from

https://www.wpi.edu/offices/environmental-health-safety/laboratory/bunsen 

Bunsen burner: Components, operation and flame types: General Laboratory Techniques. (n.d.). JoVE.
Retrieved from https://www.jove.com/v/5035/introduction-to-the-bunsen-burner 

Chemlab. (n.d.). pdfcoffee. Retrieved from https://pdfcoffee.com/chemlabd.html 

Experiment 625: The bunsen burner and Glass working. (2021, February 21). Chemistry LibreTexts.
Retrieved from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Los_Medanos_College/Chemistry_6_and_Chemistry_7_Combi
ned_Laboratory_Manual/Experiment_625_The_Bunsen_Burner_and_Glass_Working_1_2 

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Fotheringham, N. (n.d.). How to Unblock Bunsen Burners. eHow UK. Retrieved from

https://www.ehow.co.uk/how_8679744_unblock-bunsen-burners.html 

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