Guidelines for a basic life science Lab set-up
Here is some of the lab equipment for you to consider:
Funnels and Bottles
If you are working on experiments that involve liquids, funnels and bottles in different sizes and stem lengths are necessary. These funnels and bottles are usually narrow-mouthed for easy pouring of liquids. They are available in both plastic and glass.
Beakers
Beakers are the ideal equipment for mixing chemicals, dissolve or stir solutions, heat or cool down liquids or do water baths. Some beakers are broad-mouthed with a flat bottom and have a beak-shaped spout for easy handling. However, some beakers are also available in a test tube shape.
Conical Flask
This lab equipment comes handy when you want to stir or shake the liquids without risking any spillages. It has a narrow opening which expands towards the bottom. The narrow mouth allows closing it with a glass or a rubber stopper and then keeping it aside safely for later use. It can also be used for the heating purpose by clamping it to a ring stand.
Lab Stands
Lab stands come with rings or clamps to hold a beaker or a flask over the source of heat. They are available in different styles and clamp/ring sizes, depending on what your exact requirement is.
Test Tubes
A test tube is a transparent glass or plastic container in a cylindrical shape with a U-shaped bottom. It is non-reactive equipment which means that you can safely conduct experiments that require a chemical reaction. It is also used to hold science samples.
Microscopes
Science lab equipment, especially the microbiology one is incomplete without microscopes. You can buy low-powered, high-powered microscopes or both as the need may be.
Burettes and Pipettes
Burettes and pipettes are very thin tubes like apparatus to transfer very small quantities of liquid. It is used to dispense the accurate amount of liquid. While both have the same purpose, they may be used differently. A pipette is small than a burette. The key difference lies in their release mechanism. A burette has a stopcock at the bottom whereas a pipette works on a dropper like a system to release liquid in the desired amount by reducing the vacuum.
Lab Burners
Many experiments involve heating, melting, boiling or burning. Lab burners can run on butane, propane and alcohol.
Rubber Tubing
Owing to its materials like natural or synthetic rubber, these tubes are very flexible and resilient. They are very useful in distillation processes.
Safety Equipment
Safety is of the utmost importance in a laboratory. So, make sure your lab is equipped with the following:
- Safety glasses
- Safety gloves
- Lab coats
- Fire extinguishers
- Chemical fume hoods
- First aid kits
- Eyewash station
- Safety shower cubicle
- Fire blankets
This lab equipment list should get you started without any hiccups.