Ultimate Guide to Erlenmeyer Flasks

13 May.,2024

 

Ultimate Guide to Erlenmeyer Flasks

Many processes in the lab involve the handling and storage of chemical substances. To handle these substances, you need glassware to contain, mix, and store these substances. One of the most common glassware found in a lab is the Erlenmeyer Flask. These flasks are typically used in chemistry and biology labs.

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What is a Erlenmeyer Flask?

An Erlenmeyer flask has a broad flat base and a conical body that tapers upward into a cylindrical neck. It is used in labs for mixing, cooling, heating, filtrating, incubating, and storing liquids. These flasks are named after Emil Erlenmeyer, who was the German chemist that created these flasks. The flasks are also known as conical flasks or as titration flasks.

The shape of these flasks helps prevent spillage and caters to a swirling motion to perform titrations. The narrow opening prevents dust contamination and minimizes losses by evaporation.

What is the Difference Between an Erlenmeyer Flask and a Beaker?

While the Erlenmeyer Flask is similar to the beaker, there are some key differences. The main difference between an Erlenmeyer Flask and a beaker is the shape. The beaker has a cylindrical shape and flat bottom, while the Erlenmeyer Flask has a conical shape and flat bottom. Erlenmeyer Flasks have a tapered body and narrow neck. Beakers are large open-mouthed jars with a lip and spout for pouring.

Beakers are mainly used for measuring and transporting liquid, while Erlenmeyer Flasks are typically used for holding, mixing, measuring, heating, and boiling chemicals, chemical reactions, and phase changes. Erlenmeyer Flasks also can be corked or capped for mixing and storage. The Erlenmeyer Flask has a slight advantage in accuracy over a beaker.

How Do You Read an Erlenmeyer Flask?

Erlenmeyer Flasks have graduated marks on the side to read approximate volumes; however, they are not highly accurate. For example, you may have graduated lines marked 10, 20, 30, and 40 but nothing marked in between those numbers. Therefore, it’s impossible to know precisely where 13, 26, or 34 would be on the Erlenmeyer Flask. Plus, the readings marked on the flask are plus or minus 5%. You just can’t get very accurate measurements with these flasks. Volumetric flasks are the most accurate, with a tolerance of less than 0.2%

Different Types of Erlenmeyer Flasks

  • Erlenmeyer Flask with Screw Cap.

    These come in either plastic or glass and include screw tops for mixing or storage. Graduated markings show approximate volumes.

  • Plastic Erlenmeyer Flask.

    The polypropylene flasks are autoclavable and are for mixing or the storage of solutions.

  • Borosilicate Glass Erlenmeyer Flask.

    Borosilicate glass flasks are for mixing, storing, and culturing. These glass flasks are designed for the best combination of thermal shock resistance and physical strength. 

  • Erlenmeyer Shake Flasks.

    These platforms are designed with brushless motors, which are ideal for continuous shaking. They display time and speed. The flasks are placed on the platform.

      • Erlenmeyer Conical Flasks

        . These flasks have a flat base and conical shape with a tapered body and narrow neck. They are made of either plastic or glass.

  • Erlenmeyer Culture Flasks.

    These flasks are designed to achieve optimal health, reproducibility, and consistency. They come in a variety of sizes, neck styles, and cap types. Plastic Erlenmeyer flasks, used in cell culture, are pre-sterilized and designed with vented closures to enhance gas exchange during shaking and incubation.


  • Where to Buy Erlenmeyer Flasks

    Lab Pro offers Erlenmeyer Flasks that are durable and sturdy. These come in different sizes made out of either plastic or glass, and some include a screw cap for shaking or storage. They also offer Erlenmeyer Shake Flasks, Erlenmeyer Conical Flasks, and Erlenmeyer Culture Flasks.

    Lab Pro offers a large variety of Erlenmeyer Flasks for all types of laboratories. For over 40 years, Lab Pro Inc. has been committed to delivering the highest quality chemicals, lab equipment, distance learning kits, lab supplies, and cleanroom PPE apparel to medical device companies and laboratories worldwide. To learn more, visit the biggest Lab Supply showroom in California, or contact us online or at 888-452-2776.

    7 Common Types of Chemistry Flasks and What They're ...

    7 Different Types of Chemistry Flasks and Their Uses

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    Chemistry labs are filled with a variety of specialized equipment you're unlikely to find anywhere else, such as glassware, stirrers, microscopes, and testing kits. Within the glassware category, there are several types of flasks in chemistry that are utilized in a laboratory environment. Each of these flasks is created for a specific function, and is designed to withstand the conditions this function may subject it to. In this article we will explore the 7 different types of science flasks you will find in a chemistry lab. We will explain the purpose each of these containers serve in the lab, and go over the reasons behind their designs - from their shapes and volumes to the materials of which they are made.

    Common Types of Flasks You'll Find in the Chemistry Lab

    Besides the role your flask needs to fill, another important thing to consider when searching for chemistry lab flasks is their status with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The ASTM is an organization that sets standards for, among other things, equipment used in chemical science. Although the ASTM is not held responsible for forcing compliance with these standards, they are held in high regard in the chemical science industry on a global scale. Further, a certification earned from the ASTM can position glassware manufacturers and retailers as leaders in their respective industries, since it verifies that they produce products of the highest quality.


    1. Erlenmeyer Flasks

    Otherwise known as a conical or titration flask, an Erlenmeyer flask has a flat base, cone-shaped body, and a cylindrical neck. The tapered, bulbous bottom of the Erlenmeyer flask coupled with its slim, long neck makes it ideal for swirling liquids without the danger of spilling. Other uses for this glassware include boiling, cooling, filtering, incubating, and storing liquids. Although Erlenmeyer flasks are typically stamped with volumetric measure marks, they are not recommended to measure volume. Erlenmeyer flasks can come in a range of sizes and are usually made of glass or plastic. They may also come equipped with caps for further safety in storing or mixing. The Erlenmeyer flask is named after its creator, a German chemist named Emil Erlenmeyer.


    2. Büchner Flasks

    Büchner flasks are also known as Bunsen flasks, vacuum flasks, side-arm flasks, filter flasks, or suction flasks. The Büchner flask is a version of the Erlenmeyer flask that is made with thicker, heavier walls. The purpose of the thickened walls is to allow it to withstand a higher amount of internal pressure than a regular Erlenmeyer flask can. 

    Like an Erlenmeyer flask, a Büchner flask has a flat base, cone-shaped body, and cylindrical neck, but its neck is shorter and has a small tube protruding horizontally out of it. This tube is used to connect to a vacuum source to create pressure during filtration. Due to the nature of their applications, Büchner flasks are typically made of glass. Büchner flasks are named after Ernst Büchner, a German industrial chemist. 


    3. Boiling Flasks

    As their name implies, boiling flasks are used for heating or boiling liquids. Because they must tolerate such high thermal and chemical stress, these chemistry lab flasks are most commonly made of borosilicate glass. Boiling flasks have long necks and rounded bodies with either flat or rounded bottoms. This design is ideal for heating and boiling liquids because it promotes even heat disbursement with minimal evaporation. Boiling flasks were created by Otto Schott, a German chemist who also invented the borosilicate glass that boiling flasks are made out of.


    4. Reagent Flasks

     

    Reagent flasks are chemistry laboratory containers used for storing liquids or powders. They can be made of plastic, glass, or borosilicate glass and can be tinted green, blue, red, or brown to shield any chemicals that may react negatively to light or radiation. Reagent flasks come equipped with a stopper or cap to contain the chemicals they are storing. These stoppers are manufactured just as carefully as the flasks themselves and must be mindfully chosen depending on the contents of each reagent flask. With regards to their name, "reagent" is a word used to identify matter used in a chemical reaction.


    5. Volumetric Flasks

    Although they can come in a variety of shapes, volumetric flasks are ideal for measuring a substance or chemical solution with precision. Volumetric flasks have a graduated neck for measuring chemicals accurately. They can either be tube-like all the way to their base as shown in the image above, or have a pear-shaped body with a flat bottom. Also called graduated flasks or measuring flasks, these science flasks are graded as either Class A (or Class 1) or Class B (or Class 2). Class A volumetric flasks are better for use in an analytic laboratory setting, as they are more precise and made from more durable materials. 


    6. Round Bottom Flasks

    Round bottom flasks have round bodies and round bottoms. They are able to rest upright on a flat surface with the help of either stabilizing rings that the bottom of the flask rests within, or stand clamps secured to their necks. Similar to boiling flasks, round bottom flasks are ideally designed for boiling and distilling liquids. Round bottom flasks can have either wide or narrow necks that can be short or long depending on their contents and applications. Emil Erlenmeyer, the German chemist who created the Erlenmeyer flask, also created the round bottom flask. Because of the thermal shock they must endure during heating and distillation, round bottom flasks are normally made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass. 


    7. Distillation Flasks

    Distillation flasks, also known as fractioning flasks, are chemistry flasks used in the process of heating liquids for distillation. Distillation involves dividing liquids within a mixture by boiling and evaporating them, thus creating condensation that escapes out of the tubular arm protruding out of the neck. With its round bottom and long neck, the design of the distillation flask is perfect for this application. Distillation flasks are made of borosilicate glass to withstand the high temperatures required to distill liquids.

    Shop From Our Wide Assortment of Laboratory Glassware

    It should be noted that although some of these flasks can be fabricated out of plastic, glass is really the ideal material due to its ability to withstand high temperatures and the corrosive chemicals that are frequently used in a laboratory setting. For the best selection of high-quality, ASTM-compliant laboratory glassware, visit the AmScope product page today.

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