Laboratory glassware, or chemical glassware, is the set of equipment used in chemical and biology laboratories to carry out experiments.
It is called glassware even though other materials, such as various types of plastic, are also used today because they are unbreakable and cheaper.
But glass has properties that other materials do not have: transparency, heat resistant, relatively inert.
For special and experimental applications it can easily be blown at temperatures that are not excessive. This therefore makes it the material par excellence for laboratory glassware.
Chemistry Laboratory Glassware
Usually,laboratory glassware is made of borosilicate glass. It is produced by several companies that also give it a trade name. Among the most popular in Europe are Pyrex glass and Duran glass.
There are also instruments made of quartz glass because it is resistant to very high temperatures. Another special property of quartz is that it is more transparent than glass, both in the ultraviolet and in the infrared. But quartz glassware has a higher cost and is used for special applications.
You can check the Colaver catalogue for prices online.
Transparent glass or dark glass for photosensitive analysis
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For some applications, it is necessary that the laboratory glassware chemistry used protects the container's contents from the effects of light. This is why brown (or yellow) glass containers are produced and sold online.
Very popular are the yellow-brown burettes.
Complex laboratory glassware systems
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Different glassware and containers can be joined together in complex systems.
In these systems, the different parts must be joined together quickly in a temporary manner, while still ensuring a certain tightness.
The systems for joining different parts are mainly of two types: conical joints and spherical joints.
Balloon with vacuum socket
A frequent use in laboratory glassware systems is to create a vacuum. A vacuum is the condition whereby substances remain uncontaminated and environmental conditions do not interfere with the reaction.
In the image opposite is a pear-shaped container, often called a Schlenk flask, fitted with a side tube for the vacuum plug.
Vacuum can be created by connecting this opening to a special pump capable of creating this condition. Once the desired situation has been reached, the 'Rotaflo' type vacuum plug can be used to close the system for a long time.
Between chemical laboratory equipment, this finds many applications and is used very frequently.
Collecting flasks
When extractions or separations are carried out using distillation, the result must be collected in more or less capacious containers.
These collection flasks are a fundamental element of chemical glassware because they must be inert, they must be able to be heated to high temperatures, they must be non-deformable, washable and transparent to see the contents.
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In this picture, you can see round-bottomed flasks that must have a cork support in order to remain upright. The round bottom, however, prevents substances from settling at the edges and not mixing properly with all the contents of the solution.
There is also the flat-bottomed flask, which is practical because it stands on its own but is only suitable for use with very fluid liquids. With higher densities it may be necessary to use glass rods to mix the contents.
Conical joints
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Cone joints consist of a male and a female part. The cone diameters are standardised measurements and the cone diameter increases by one unit for every 10 units of length. Usually the joints are hollow in order to pass the solutions to be processed. The ends of the cones have ground surfaces to ensure a better seal.
In this way a flask, a distiller and a condenser can be joined.
Ball joints
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In spherical joints, the male and female end parts have a ground spherical surface. Again, the inside is hollow to allow liquids or gases to pass through. Ball joints are more versatile than conical joints, and are used when it is necessary to ensure a certain amount of clearance at the joint. This is the case, for example, with the junction between a cold trap and a vacuum line.
Stopping Tubes
An important element that is a feature of chemical glassware is the use of stopcocks.
They are used in all glass equipment that requires the processing of a controlled fluid.
In laboratory glassware we find stopcocks in burettes, Schlenk flasks, separating funnels or chromatography columns.
The tap can be made entirely of glass or with some parts made of PTFE.
It is also used in vacuum processing.
Taps are sold online at different prices, depending on size and material.