We explain what an Erlenmeyer flask is, how it is used in a laboratory and its characteristics. Also, who was Emil Erlenmeyer.
What is an Erlenmeyer flask?
The Erlenmeyer flask (also called Erlenmeyer flask or extreme chemical synthesis flask) is a type of glass container widely used in laboratories of chemistry, physical, biology, medicine and / or other scientific specialties. It is a container of substances liquid or solid of a different nature.
The name of this instrument comes from its creator, the German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer (1825-1909). It is a transparent glass container, often with a graduation on one side, with a wide neck, ideal for the use of stoppers, but narrower than the bottom of the container.
The Erlenmeyer flask is generally used to store substances that are not affected by sunlight. It is ideal for stirring mixes, as its shape prevents liquid spillage, which is particularly important when handling volatile or corrosive elements.
It can also be used for heating substances at high temperatures, for the evaporation controlled or for the preparation of culture broths in medicine and microbiology.
Its long neck is ideal to hold it with pliers or handles. On many occasions it is more suitable than traditional test tubes, especially because its flat bottom allows it to be left to rest quietly, or to place it on tripods, lighters and other surfaces.
It is not usually used, however, for the thorough preparation of mixtures liquid, since their gradation is usually imprecise. It is used only as a reference value.
Biography of Emil Erlenmeyer
Emil Erlenmeyer was an important chemist of the 19th century.The German chemist Richard August Carl Emil Erlenmeyer, was born on June 28, 1825, in Taunusstein, Germany. He studied medicine at Giessen and worked as a pharmacist for the next several years, as well as in the field of fertilizers together with Robert Bunsen.
He was a professor at the Munich Polytechnic Institute between 1863 and 1883, where he made important contributions regarding the chemical synthesis of numerous compounds. He invented the flask that bears his name in 1861.
He proposed the formula for naphthalene that is currently known, in addition to contributing to the synthesis of a large group of organic compounds.
He was one of the first students of chemistry to adopt the system of valences atomic. In 1880 he formulated the Erlenmeyer Rule on the conversion of alkenes into aldehydes or ketones. He died in Aschaffenburg in 1909, and his son Friedrich Gustav Carl Emil Erlenmeyer continued his works for years.