EQUIPMENT
Professional laboratories spend thousands of euros (or pounds, whatever your currency is) worth of equipment and
glassware. Similarly, setting up your own lab may be quite expensive.
You can use food glass jars to some extent (as long as you don't heat them) and keep medicines bottles as
containers, but what about the other items?
Glassware
Usually available in two materials -Borosilicate and Pyrex- it's the basic category of equipment. Borosilicate is an affordable glass that can withstand chemicals and heat pretty well but is weak against thermal shock; on the other hand, Pyrex is very thermal shock-resistant, but can be sold for more than twice the price of Borosilicate. Personally, I'd recommend having most of your glassware in Borosilicate and some Pyrex items for open-flame heating/heavy boiling; of course, if you can afford it, buy all Pyrex.Here's a list of the recommended basic/starter glassware.
You can get cheap, high-quality boro glassware from SOREKARA on Aliexpress, the chinese equivalent of ebay. The shipping is free and fast (about 30 days), so even if you need a couple of items, it's worth the buy.
Item |
Qty |
Use |
|
| Beaker, 150mL | 5-6 |
Small scale reaction vessel | |
| Beaker, 250mL | 2-3 |
Medium scale reaction vessel | |
| Beaker, 600mL | 1-2 |
Medium-big scale reaction vessel | |
| Erlenmeyer, 250mL | 2-3 |
Medium scale reaction/filtering/boiling vessel | |
| Volumetric flask / Graduated cylinder, 100mL | 1 |
Accurate solution preparation | |
| Test tubes, 16x150mm | 10+ |
Small scale reaction/heating vessel |
Plasticware
Plasticware is cheaper and more resistant to physical shock (if you are clumsy, improve your skills with easy experiments and use plasticware) but cannot withstand more than 120C, the temperature of sterilizers and dishwashers. Also, plasticware can easily get scratched with stirring rods or stained on contact with particularly obnoxious chemicals. Purchase plastic items if you need extremely large vessels or many pieces and can't afford glass. An approximate price comparison in EUR:Item |
Plastic (PP) |
Borosilicate |
Pyrex |
| Graduated Cylinder, 2000mL | 20 |
48 |
110 |
| Beaker, 2000mL | 8 |
9 |
25 |
| Erlenmeyer, 5000mL | 35 |
50 |
73 |
Again, a list of recommended basic/starter plasticware:
Item |
Qty |
Use |
|
| Beaker, 1000mL | 1 |
Big scale reaction vessel | |
| Graduated Cylinder, 25mL | 1 |
Medium accuracy measuring vessel | |
| Graduated Cylinder, 100mL | 1 |
Medium accuracy measuring vessel | |
| Graduated Cylinder, 250mL | 1 |
Medium accuracy measuring vessel | |
| Funnel for liquids, 8-10cm | 2-3 |
Filtering/pouring tool | |
| Funnel for powders/solids, 8-10cm | 1-2 |
Filtering/pouring tool | |
| Wash bottle, 250mL | 1 |
Distilled water storage |
Accessories
Accessories are indispensable. From pipettes to stirring rods, steel/plastic spoons and spatulas here's a list, again:Item |
Qty |
Use |
|
| Glass stirring rod | 3 |
Mixing liquids | |
| Plastic pipette, disposable, 3-5mL | Pack of 250 |
Take small liquid samples | |
| Long spoons | 5-6 |
Take small solid samples | |
| Metal Surgical/Plastic First aid tweezers | 1-2 |
Pick up small samples | |
| Scalpel | 1 |
Cut samples | |
| Freezer bags, clear | 15+ |
Store powders/solids/samples |
Heating
You'll most likely need only one of these. If you don't have any, it is suggested that you start with the electric plate.Item |
Qty |
Use |
|
| Burner (alcohol or petrol) | 1 |
Gentle heating | |
| Bunsen burner (methane) | 1 |
Intense heating | |
| Tripod with net | 1 |
Support for heating with bunsen | |
| Hand/camping torch (propane or LPG) | 1 |
Quick heating/firestarter | |
| Hot plate (electric) | 1 |
Evaporating/boiling | |
| Boiling chips/Magnetic stirring bar | 3 |
Avoid superheating on electric hot plate | |
| Metal clamps | 1-2 |
Retrieving hot vessels from the heat |