Commonly Used Equipment in the Science Laboratory

Containers Used to Measure or Hold Larger Volumes of Liquid Assorted conical Erlenmeyer flasks Narrow neck prevents splashes; used to heat and store substances Graduated cylinders Accurately measures liquid volumes; measures in milliliters Volumetric Flask For making solutions of a known volume. Beakers Used 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. revAug2014

Equipment Used to Measure Small Volumes of Liquid Various Pipets and Bulbs Measures small amounts of liquids accurately Pipet Bulb Used to pull liquid into a pipet Variable Micropipettes Various Sizes of Micropipette Tips Pipet Pumpers Also used to pull liquid into a pipet revAug2014

Useful Equipment for Measuring the Mass of a Substance Spatula Used to transfer powders and crystal chemicals Electronic Balance Used to weigh the mass of a substance. Analytical Balance Excellent weighing performance, fast and accurate Weigh Paper Used for weighing powders and crystals; making weigh boat revAug2014

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) Microcentrifuges Microscopes Spectrophotometers revAug2014

Compound microscope-most commonly used in our labs; 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. Microcentrifuge Spins 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) 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) revAug2014

Spectrophotometers Genesys Spectrophotometer Spec 20 Spectroscopy 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. Genesys Spectrophotometer Spec 20 Cuvettes to hold the solution revAug2014

Electrophoresis Equipment Gel Electrophoresis is a commonly performed task in most biology labs. Electrophoresis Unit Power Supply Lid Electrophoresis Chamber Gel Tray and Comb revAug2014

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. 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. Inside block of a PCR Unit; holds PCR tubes Magnetic stir bar and comes in various sizes PCR Tubes are tiny Stir bar retriever revAug2014