What instrument is used for heating?

Answer 1

Many instruments are used in the laboratory for heating purposes. Many are specialized for specific types of settings and reactions. Here are some of the more commonly used ones:

* The hot plate- an electronic device that often is combined with a stirring function so that reactions can be heated and stirred at the same time. Hot plates come in many different sizes and shapes depending on the kind of work you are doing.

* The Bunsen burner- a device that has an open flame obtained from lighting a flammable gas that is fed through the burner. These are becoming less popular in labs as safer and more stable electronic equipment is introduced. One of their main uses is sterilization of items (often glass or metal) since they have higher temperatures than most hot plates and they reach those temperatures faster.

* Heating mantles- work in much the same way as hot plates but instead of just heating the bottom of a flask they heat a large majority of the surface area for an even temperature throughout the flask. Some of these even contain ways to control the temperature automatically. These devices are also reduce the risk of shattered glass due to it's ability to prevent rapid changes in temperature or uneven temperature distribution.

* Water baths- use the same concept as heating mantles. These consist of a container of water usually positioned over a hotplate with the flask to be heated partway submerged in the water. These are very useful and cheap ways for heating reactions evenly but you have to control the temperature manually. These also introduce a lot of humidity to the area and there is always the risk of losing (and most likely ruining) your product in the water by tipping over the flask.

* Incubators- Are used to control temperature and humidity in order to promote the growth of microorganisms for use in study like certain kinds of bacteria. These can be set to automatically change temperatures and also to turn off at certain times.

* Oven-a device in the lab that can be set to many different temperatures and that is used primarily to heat glassware and other items in order to dry them. It can also be used on chemical samples to evaporate water or other residues with low boiling points.

* Autoclave- A device that uses steam and pressure to heat aqueous solutions in order to sterilize them for use.