Commonly Used Equipment in the

Science Laboratory

Assorted conical Erlenmeyer flasksNarrow neck prevents splashes; used to heat and store substances

Graduated cylindersAccurately measures liquid volumes; measures in milliliters

BeakersUsed to hold liquids. Beakers do not accurately measure liquids.

***Use the appropriate volume container for the volume you are working with! If you don’t know ask.

Containers Used to Measure or Hold Larger Volumes of Liquid

Volumetric FlaskFor making solutions of a known volume.

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Equipment Used to Measure Small Volumes of Liquid

Various Pipets and BulbsMeasures small amounts of liquids accurately

Pipet BulbUsed to pull liquid into a pipet

Various Sizes of Micropipette Tips

Variable Micropipettes

Pipet PumpersAlso used to pull liquid into a pipet

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Spatula

Used to transfer powders and crystal chemicals

Electronic Balance

Used to weigh the mass of a substance.

Useful Equipment for Measuring the Mass of a Substance

Weigh PaperUsed for weighing powders and crystals; making weigh boat

Analytical BalanceExcellent weighing performance, fast and accurate

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Instruments Used in the Science Laboratory

Instrumentation used in the laboratory is generally considered to be a more ingenious use of a piece of equipment than the typical piece of laboratory equipment. They typically have some computerized components to them, but not always.

For example, the analytical balance is also electronic but is more sophisticated than the everyday electronic balance. Both are instruments used in the biology and chemistry laboratory.

Some of the most commonly pieces of instrumentation include:

Analytical balances (as noted above)MicrocentrifugesMicroscopesSpectrophotometers

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MicrocentrifugeSpins small volumes of liquid samples to separate their components; uses microcentrifuge tubes;Sometimes called Eppendorf tubes

Compound microscope-most commonly used in our labs;Two sets of lenses to magnify an object; requires a glass slide (fixed or lab prepared)

A centrifuge is used to separate biomolecules that ordinarily would not separate out under normal gravitational forces. Centrifuges are classified according to the size and speed and can be low speed, high speed, or ultracentrifuges.

Larger centrifuges require larger centrifuge tubes

Other types of microscopes include the dissection (steroscope), phase contrast, and high powered microscopes such as scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopes (TEM)

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SpectrophotometersSpectroscopy studies the interactions between light and matter. The color a substance, solution or object appears to be is due to the wavelength (λ )of light that is not absorbed. If a solution appears red, the red solution absorbed specific wavelengths of light in the range of about 490-500 (blue-green λ). Spectrophotometers can be used to determine the absorbency of colored solutions and this information used to determine concentration of the absorbing molecules under study.

Spec 20 Genesys Spectrophotometer

Cuvettes to hold the solution

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Electrophoresis EquipmentGel Electrophoresis is a commonly performed task in most biology labs.

Power SupplyElectrophoresis Unit

Electrophoresis Chamber

Lid

Gel Tray and Comb

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Hot plate/ Stir Plate

Can heat liquids and with the aid of a magnetic stir bar; can stir the liquid as it’s being heated.

Other Handy Pieces of Equipment to Have in the Laboratory

PCR Unit is an essential part of any molecular biology lab. PCR is the process of amplifying DNA millions of times over. Once DNA is amplified it can then be used in a number of laboratory and clinical techniques such as DNA fingerprinting, and diagnosis of genetic disorders.

PCR Tubes are tiny

Inside block of a PCR Unit; holds PCR tubes

Magnetic stir bar and comes in various sizes

Stir bar retriever

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