He Flat bottom flask Is a flat-bottomed glass jar that is normally used in laboratories and other scientific environments.
Flashes exist in many shapes and sizes, but all share one aspect in common: they have broad bodies at the bottom and a narrower section at the top, called the neck. Traditionally they are made of glass, although some may be made of plastic.
Laboratory flasks are differentiated by the amount of volume they can withstand, typically this is specified in metric units as millimeters or liters.
These can be used to make solutions or to contain or collect them. Sometimes they can also be used to volumetrically measure chemicals, samples, solutions, etc. They are also used to perform chemical reactions, or in other processes such as mixing, heating, cooling, dissolving, precipitating, boiling, distilling or analyzing.
Characteristics of flat-bottomed flasks
Flat-bottom flasks are round flasks, usually composed of a single neck, which are used to heat compounds in distillation or other reactive reactions.
They are usually used to contain liquids and to heat them. Most commonly, a kind of gauze material is used that interposes between the flask and the flame. In addition, flat bottom flasks are widely used in the preparation of bacteriological culture media.
Unlike round bottom flasks, which can not stand alone, flat-bottomed flasks are able to do so by their flat base.
These flasks are very good at heating substances; However, flat bottoms have the disadvantage of not heating as evenly as their round bottom counterparts. Round flasks should be used with a laboratory system to support them and do not fall.
For their part, flat-bottomed flasks can stand without any problem; You do not need the use of an additional equipment so that they can be used. Almost all round flasks are made of boron silicate glass.
Flat-bottomed flasks are not as strong or durable as round-bottomed flasks. Despite this disadvantage, they have a feature to their advantage: they do not have the sharp and vulnerable corners of an Erlenmeyer flask, for example.
The biggest advantage of these flasks is that thanks to their flat bottoms they can stand on their own in a hot plate, on a table or on a shelf.
Variations of flat-bottom flasks
Erlenmeyer flask
The Erlenmeyer flask is also known as a conical flask. It is a type of flask with a flat bottom, a cone-shaped body and a cylinder-shaped neck. It was created in 1860 by the German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer .
Erlenmeyer flasks have broad bases, with sides narrowing upward toward a short vertical neck. They can be graduated, and commonly frosted glass or enamel marks are used where they can be labeled with a pencil. They are usually made of glass or plastic and are built in different volume ranges.
The mouth of an Erlenmeyer flask may have a kind of lip that can be stopped using a piece of cotton, cork or rubber.
Alternatively, the neck may be used with some other connector to be used with other appliances or connections. These modifications can be designed specifically for uses in filtration processes under aspiration, for example.
Thanks to its narrow sides and thin neck, this flask allows the contents to be mixed when shaken, without risk of spilling. For this reason, they are used in degrees.
The shape of Erlenmeyer flasks make them useful in boiling liquids; The hot vapors condense in the top section of the bottle, reducing the loss of solvent. Their necks also help to attach filter funnels.
These flasks are also ideal for recrystallization. The sample to be purified is heated to boiling and sufficient solvent is added to dissolve completely. The bottle you receive will have a small amount of solvent and will heat to boil.
This hot solution is then filtered into the receiving flask. Hot vapors from the boiling solvent keep the filter channel warm, preventing premature crystallization.
In microbiology, these flasks are used to prepare microbiological cultures. When used in this area, they usually have ventilation to promote gas exchange.
Measured flask
These flasks are laboratory pieces, calibrated to contain a precise amount of volume at a particular temperature. The volumetric flasks are used for precise dilutions and preparations of standard solutions.
They are usually pear shaped, with a flat bottom and are made of glass or plastic. The mouth has a piece of plastic or lid, to accompany a glass stopper.
The necks of the volumetric flasks are elongated and thin, with a ring to mark their graduation. This mark indicates the volume of liquid it contains when filled to that point.
Glass of precipitate
These simple flasks are used in laboratories to mix, combine and heat liquids. The beakers have a flat bottom, with a cylindrical shape. They sometimes have a sort of spike at the top to help pour fluids. They are available in different sizes.
References
- Flat Bottom Flasks. Retrieved from spectrum-scientifics.com.
- Laboratory glassware - a primer, part 2. Retrieved from spectrumscientifics.wordpress.com.
- What is a flat-bottomed flask used for? Retrieved from reference.com.
- Laboratory flasks information. Recovered from globalspec.com.
- Classic Kit: Erlenmeyer flask. (2008) Retrieved from chemistryworld.com.
- Volumetric flask. Retrieved from wikipedia.org.
- . Retrieved from oed.com.