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 ...

, a beaker is generally a cylindrical container with a flat bottom.Oxford English Dictionary 1989 edition Most also have a small spout (or "beak") to aid pouring, as shown in the picture. Beakers are available in a wide range of sizes, from one

milliliter The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3). ...

up to several

liters The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3). ...

. A beaker is distinguished from a

flask Flask may refer to: Container * Hip flask, a small container used to carry a small amount of liquid * Laboratory flask, laboratory glassware for holding larger volumes than simple test tubes ** Erlenmeyer flask, a common laboratory flask wit ...

by having straight rather than sloping sides. The exception to this definition is a slightly conical-sided beaker called a Philips beaker. The beaker shape in general drinkware is similar. Beakers are commonly made of glass (today usually

borosilicate glass Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with silica and boron trioxide as the main glass-forming constituents. Borosilicate glasses are known for having very low coefficients of thermal expansion (≈3 × 10−6 K−1 at 20 °C), m ...

), but can also be in metal (such as stainless steel or

aluminum 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. It ha ...

) or certain plastics (notably polythene,

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins a ...

, PTFE). A common use for polypropylene beakers is gamma spectral analysis of liquid and solid samples. Glassware-_Beaker

Construction and use

Standard or "low-form" (A) beakers typically have a height about 1.4 times the diameter.British Standard 6523 (1984) ''Glass beakers for original experiments use'' The common low form with a spout was devised by

John Joseph Griffin John Joseph Griffin (1802 – 9 June 1877) was an English chemist and publisher. Life Griffin was born in 1802 in Shoreditch, London, the son of a bookseller and publisher. The family moved to Glasgow when he was young. In present-day his famil ...

and is therefore sometimes called a Griffin beaker.A. I. Vogel (1974) ''Practical Organic Chemistry'' Third edition (Longman, London) page 46 Chemistry World August 2011
Classic kit: Griffin's Beaker These are the most universal character and are used for various purposes—from preparing solutions and decanting supernatant fluids to holding waste fluids prior to disposal to performing simple reactions. Low form beakers are likely to be used in some way when performing a chemical experiment. "Tall-form" (B) beakers have a height about twice their diameter. These are sometimes called Berzelius beakers and are mostly used for

titration Titration (also known as titrimetry and volumetric analysis) is a common laboratory method of quantitative chemical analysis to determine the concentration of an identified analyte (a substance to be analyzed). A reagent, termed the ''titrant'' ...

. Flat beakers (C) are often called "crystallizers" because most are used to perform crystallization, but they are also often used as a vessel for use in hot-bath heating. These beakers usually do not have a flat scale. The presence of a spout means that the beaker cannot have a lid. However, when in use, beakers may be covered by a

watch glass A watch glass is a circular concave piece of glass used in chemistry as a surface to evaporate a liquid, to hold solids while being weighed, for heating a small amount of substance and as a cover for a beaker. A larger watchglass may be referre ...

to prevent contamination or loss of the contents, but allowing venting via the spout. Alternatively, a beaker may be covered with another larger beaker that has been inverted, though a watch glass is preferable. Beakers are often ''graduated'', that is, marked on the side with lines indicating the volume contained. For instance, a 250 mL beaker might be marked with lines to indicate 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 mL of volume. These marks are not intended for obtaining a precise measurement of volume (a

graduated cylinder A graduated cylinder, also known as a measuring cylinder or mixing cylinder, is a common piece of laboratory equipment used to measure the volume of a liquid. It has a narrow cylindrical shape. Each marked line on the graduated cylinder represent ...

or a

volumetric flask A volumetric flask (measuring flask or graduated flask) is a piece of laboratory apparatus, a type of laboratory flask, calibrated to contain a precise volume at a certain temperature. Volumetric flasks are used for precise dilutions and prepar ...

would be a more appropriate instrument for such a task), but rather an estimation. Most beakers are accurate to within ~10%.

Standards

DIN EN ISO 3819:2015-12 defines the following types and sizes:ISO 3819:2015-12
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{Laboratory equipment Laboratory glassware Drinkware

Construction and use

Standards

See also

References

Further reading

External links