Magnetic stirrer

Laboratory device Magnetic stirrerA stir bar mixing a solution on a combined hot-plate magnetic-stirrer device; the left knob controls the stirring rate and the right knob controls heatingOther namesMagnetic mixerUsesLiquid mixingInventorArthur RosingerRelated itemsVortex mixer, static mixer A magnetic stirrer or magnetic mixer is a laboratory device that employs a rotating magnetic field to cause a stir bar (or flea) immersed in a liquid to spin very quickly, thus stirring it. The rotating field may be created either by a rotating magnet or a set of stationary electromagnets, placed beneath the vessel with the liquid. It is used in chemistry and biology as a convenient way to stir small volumes and where other forms of stirring, such as overhead stirrers and stirring rods, may not be viable. History The first patent for a magnetic mixer is US 1,242,493, issued 9 October 1917 to Richard H. Stringham of Bountiful, Utah. Stringham's mixer used stationary electromagnets in the base, rather than a rotating permanent magnet, to rotate the stirrer. Arthur Rosinger of Newark, New Jersey obtained US Patent 2,350,534, titled Magnetic Stirrer on 6 June 1944, having filed an application on 5