A heating mantle, or isomantle, is a piece of

laboratory equipment A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

used to apply heat to containers, as an alternative to other forms of

heated bath A heated bath is used in the laboratory to allow a chemical reaction to occur at an elevated temperature. The heated bath is a fluid placed in an open (metal) pot. Water and silicone oil are the most commonly used fluids. A water bath is used f ...

. In contrast to other heating devices, such as

hotplate A hot plate is a portable self-contained tabletop small appliance cooktop A cooktop (American English), stovetop (American English) or hob (British English), is a device commonly used for cooking that is commonly found in kitchens and used t ...

s or

Bunsen burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is main ...

glassware upTypical drinkware The list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware) and tableware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory glass ...

containers may be placed in direct contact with the heating mantle without substantially increasing the risk of the glassware shattering, because the heating element of a heating mantle is insulated from the container so as to prevent excessive temperature gradients. Heating mantles may have various forms. In a common arrangement, electric wires are embedded within a strip of fabric that can be wrapped around a flask. The current supplied to the device, and hence the temperature achieved, is regulated by a rheostat. This type of heating mantle is quite useful for maintaining an intended temperature within a

separatory funnel A separatory funnel, also known as a separation funnel, separating funnel, or colloquially sep funnel, is a piece of laboratory glassware used in liquid-liquid extractions to separate (''partition'') the components of a mixture into two immiscib ...

, for example, after the contents of a reaction have been removed from a primary heat source. Another variety of heating mantle may resemble a paint can and is constructed as a "basket" within a cylindrical canister (often made of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

or metal such as

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

). The rigid metal exterior supports a "basket" made of fabric and includes heating elements within the body of the heating mantle. To heat an object, it is placed within the basket of the heating mantle. In further contrast to other methods of applying heat to a flask, such as an

oil bath An oil bath is a type of heated bath used in a laboratory, most commonly used to heat up chemical reactions. It's essentially a container of oil that is heated by a hot plate or (in rare cases) a Bunsen burner. Use These baths are commonly used ...

or water bath, using a heating mantle generates no liquid residue to drip off the flask. Also, heating mantles generally distribute heat evenly over the surface of the flask and exhibit less tendency to generate harmful hotspots.

External links

* Laboratory equipment Heating {{tech-stub

See also

External links