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Erlenmeyer flask
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Erlenmeyer flask

Different Erlenmeyer flasks

Original drawing of the Erlenmeyer flask

Conical flask used in a Titration setup

An Erlenmeyer flask, also known as a conical flask, is a widely used type of laboratory
flask which features a flat bottom, a conical body, and a cylindrical neck.[1] It is named after
the German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer, who created it in 1861.[2][3]

Contents

1 Design

2 Uses

3 See also

4 References

5 External links

Design
The Erlenmeyer is usually marked on the side (graduated) to indicate the approximate
volume of contents, and has a spot of ground glass or enamel where it can be labeled with a
pencil. It differs from the beaker in its tapered body and narrow neck.[4]
The opening usually has a slight rounded lip so that the Erlenmeyer can be easily stoppered
using a piece of cotton wool, rubber bung or similar. Alternatively, the neck may be fitted
with a female ground glass joint to accept a glass stopper. The conical shape allows the
contents to be swirled or stirred during an experiment, either by hand or by a shaker; the
narrow neck keeps the contents from spilling out. The small neck reduces evaporative losses
compared to a beaker, while the flat bottom of the conical flask makes it unlikely to tip over
and spill.

Uses
Erlenmeyers are used in chemistry labs for titration, e.g. for pH, as they can be held and the
contents mixed single-handed leaving the other hand free to add reagent.[5]
Erlenmeyer flasks are suitable for heating liquids, e.g. with a Bunsen burner. The flask is
usually placed on a ring held to a ring stand by means of a ring clamp. A wire gauze mesh or
pad is usually placed between the rings and the flask to prevent the flames from directly
touching the glass in the same manner as for a beaker. When heating (or cooling) in a water
bath the flask can be clamped by the neck to a stand or a hooped weight may be placed over
the conical part of the flask to prevent it from floating in the bath.[6][better source needed]
Erlenmeyers are also used in microbiology for the preparation of microbial cultures. Plastic
Erlenmeyer flasks used in cell culture are pre-sterilized and feature closures and vented
closures to enhance gas exchange during incubation and shaking.

See also

Fleaker

References
1.

^ Flasks. IndiaMART. 17 November 2011

2.

^ Erlenmeyer Flask. 17 November 2011

3.

^ Erlenmeyer Flask. Lab Bench. 17 November 2011

4.

^ Laboratory Glassware. 17 November 2011

5.

^ Erlenmeyer Flask. The Titi Tudorancea Learning Center. 17 November 2011

6.

^ https://eee.uci.edu/programs/gchem/RDGvolflaskpipet.pdf

External links

Media related to Erlenmeyer flask at Wikimedia Commons

[hide]

Laboratory equipment

Glassware

Beaker

Boston round (bottle)

Bchner funnel

Burette

Cold finger

Condenser

Conical measure

Cuvette

Dean-Stark apparatus

Dropping funnel

Eudiometer

Evaporating dish

Gas syringe

Graduated cylinder

Pipette

Petri dish

Pycnometer

Separatory funnel

Soxhlet extractor

Ostwald viscometer

Watch glass

Bchner

Dewar

Erlenmeyer

Fernbach

Fleaker

Florence

Retort

Round-bottom

Schlenk

Volumetric

Boiling

Ignition

NMR

Test

Thiele

Thistle

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Meker-Fisher burner

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Retort stand

Safety shower

Spectrophotometer

Static mixer

Stir bar

Stirring rod

Stopper

Scoopula

Teclu burner

Thermometer

Vacuum dry box

Vortex mixer

Wash bottle

See also: Instruments used in medical laboratories

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