Laboratory Equipment and Techniques
When participating in chemistry scientific investigations, you will use a variety of laboratory equipment. Some of this equipment has very specific purposes, while other equipment can be used for general functions. In this activity, click on each of the images and arrows to learn more about the laboratory equipment used in a chemistry lab.
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Lighting a Gas Burner
During several of your scientific investigations, it will be important for you to know how to properly and safely light a gas burner. Each time, you will need to follow the instructions below in order to do so.
Gather all of the needed materials, including the gas burner, gas hose, and striker.- Check your gas burner parts for safety. Make sure that the hose is properly attached to the gas input and that there are no holes in the tube.
- Look at the key on the burner to check that the stopcock is open.
- Once you have received permission from your instructor, turn on the gas. You may need to you must first push down the lever, and then turn the tap.
- Immediately light the Bunsen burner using the striker. If the gas burner does not light after a few seconds, turn off the gas so that it does not leach into the lab.
- Adjust the flame by turning the collar on the bottom of the burner. Turning the collar adjusts the holes so that you have the appropriate flame for the experiment, which is usually a medium blue flame.
- During the experiment, make sure to monitor the flame on the burner and turn off the burner and gas when not in use. This means that you should not leave your lab area unattended at any point.