Beaker - Definition, Types, Features, and Applications

Beaker is a cylindrical laboratory container with flat bottom and small spout at the top. It is one of the common glassware used in laboratory for mixing, heating, stirring and keeping liquids for short time. The spout is used to pour the liquid easily and in controlled way.

It is usually made up of borosilicate glass, because it is transparent, chemically resistant and can tolerate high temperature changes. Some beakers are also made up of plastic like polypropylene and PTFE, and some are made up of stainless steel for high temperature work.

Beakers have graduation marks on their side, but they are not used for exact measurement of liquid. They are used only for approximate measurement. The common types are Griffin beaker which is short and wide, and Berzelius beaker which is tall and narrow.

Features of Beaker

The following are the important features of Beaker–

Cylindrical shape
Beakers are generally cylindrical in shape with straight vertical sides and flat bottom. The flat bottom gives stability when it is placed on laboratory bench.
Pouring spout
It has a small spout or beak at the upper edge. This is used to pour liquids easily and prevent spilling during transfer.

Wide mouth
Beaker has a wide opening at the top. It helps in mixing chemicals, adding solid reagents, inserting thermometer or stirring rod and cleaning the beaker properly.
Graduation marks
Most of the beakers have graduation marks on their side. These marks are used to estimate the approximate volume of liquid, but it is not used for accurate measurement.
Beaded rim
The upper edge of glass beaker has a beaded rim. It gives mechanical strength and helps to prevent chipping during handling.

Marking spot
Some beakers have a small matte marking area on the side. It is used for writing the name of chemical or content with pencil.
Durable materials
Beakers are mostly made up of borosilicate glass because it can resist chemicals and temperature changes. They are also made up of polypropylene, PTFE, stainless steel or aluminium for special laboratory uses.

Types of Beakers

The following are the important types of Beakers–

Griffin beaker
Griffin beaker is also called low-form beaker. It is the most common type of beaker with wide mouth and short height. It is used for general laboratory works like mixing, heating and preparation of solutions.

Berzelius beaker
Berzelius beaker is also called tall-form beaker. It is tall and narrow in shape. It is used in titration, chemical analysis and in condition where evaporation of liquid is to be reduced.
Crystallizer beaker
Crystallizer beaker is a shallow type of beaker with low height and wide diameter. It is used for evaporation of solvent and formation of crystals. It may not have graduation marks or pouring spout.
Phillips beaker
Phillips beaker is a conical beaker with sloping sides. It is narrow at the mouth and wide at the base. This shape helps in swirling of liquid without much splashing.

Heavy-duty beaker
Heavy-duty beaker is made up of thick glass wall. It is used where high temperature, mechanical stress and continuous laboratory or industrial use is present.
Jacketed beaker
Jacketed beaker is a double-walled beaker. It has inlet and outlet ports for passing heating or cooling liquid. It is used to maintain constant temperature during sensitive chemical or biological reactions.
Filtering beaker
Filtering beaker is a special beaker with side arm. The side arm is connected with vacuum source. It is used for rapid filtration of precipitates.

Electrolytic beaker
Electrolytic beaker is generally tall-form vessel without pouring spout. It is used in electrochemical analysis and electrolysis.
Beaker with handle
Beaker with handle has a handle for easy holding and transfer of liquids. It is used in microbiology, food testing and during handling of hot or reactive liquids.
Tri-pour beaker
Tri-pour beaker is generally made up of plastic and may be disposable. It has three pouring spouts. It is used for pouring liquid from different sides without dripping.

How to use a Beaker?

The following are the steps to use a Beaker–

Before use, the beaker should be checked properly for cracks, chips or deep scratches. These small damages can break the glass when it is heated.
The beaker should be selected according to the chemical used. Glass beaker is not used for hydrofluoric acid, because it can react with glass. In this case, plastic beaker is used.
Proper safety materials should be used during laboratory work. Safety goggles, gloves and lab coat are used to prevent chemical injury.

The beaker should not be filled up to the mouth. About one-fifth part is kept empty, so that mixing can be done easily and spilling is prevented during heating.
The graduation marks present on beaker are used only for approximate measurement. For exact measurement, graduated cylinder or volumetric flask is used.
During heating, the beaker is placed on wire gauze or tripod stand. Direct flame should not be applied to the glass without proper support because uneven heating can break it.

The liquid should be stirred continuously during heating. This helps in even distribution of heat throughout the liquid.
The beaker should be heated and cooled slowly. Hot glass beaker should not be placed directly on cold bench because sudden temperature change can crack the glass.
Hot beaker should be handled with beaker tongs or heat-resistant gloves. It should not be touched directly by hand.

The beaker may be covered with watch glass when needed. It prevents contamination and loss of sample, but vapours can pass out from the spout.
The beaker containing solution should be labelled properly. Name of substance, concentration, preparation date and hazard information should be written.
After use, the beaker should be cleaned with mild detergent and soft brush or sponge. Hard metal scrubber should not be used because it can scratch the glass surface.

The beaker should be stored in clean and stable cabinet. It should not be kept on high shelf or one inside another without padding, because pressure can cause hidden cracks.

How to Clean and Maintain a beaker?

The following are the steps to clean and maintain a Beaker–

The beaker should be cleaned as soon as possible after use. This prevents the chemical residues from drying and becoming hard.

If immediate cleaning is not possible, the beaker should be soaked in water or soap solution for some time. This makes the residue loose from the wall.
The beaker is first rinsed with tap water or suitable solvent. It removes remaining chemicals present inside the beaker.
The beaker should be washed with mild non-abrasive laboratory detergent. Strong detergent or rough cleaning material should not be used normally.

Glass beaker is cleaned gently with soft brush having wooden or plastic handle. Metal scrubber or brush with exposed metal part should not be used because it can scratch the glass.
Plastic beaker should be cleaned with soft sponge only. Hard brush may damage the plastic surface.
If the residue is strongly attached, the beaker should be soaked again in soap solution. It should not be scrubbed strongly because aggressive scrubbing can produce scratches.

After washing, the beaker should be rinsed properly under running tap water. Then final rinsing is done with distilled water to remove detergent and dissolved salts.
The cleaned beaker should be dried completely by air drying or in drying cabinet. It should not be stored wet because trapped moisture can cause contamination and other problems.
Before every use, the rim and body of beaker should be checked for chips, star cracks and deep scratches. Damaged beaker should be discarded because it can break during heating or laboratory work.

Borosilicate glass beaker should not be exposed to sudden temperature change. Hot beaker should not be placed directly on cold, wet or metal bench because thermal shock can crack it.
Beakers should be stored in clean, stable and dust-free cabinet. They may be kept upright or upside down according to laboratory rule to prevent contamination.
Beakers should not be kept on very high shelves. This reduces the chance of falling and breaking.

Beakers should not be stacked tightly one inside another without padding. This pressure can make invisible fractures and later it may break during use.

What are the Available Sizes of Beakers?

Beakers are available in different sizes from small capacity to large capacity. Generally, it ranges from 1 ml to 10 liter. The size depends on the type and shape of the beaker.

The following are the available sizes of Beakers–

Low-form beaker or Griffin beaker is available in many capacities. The common sizes are 5 ml, 10 ml, 25 ml, 50 ml, 100 ml, 150 ml, 250 ml, 400 ml, 500 ml, 600 ml, 800 ml, 1000 ml, 2000 ml, 3000 ml, 4000 ml, 5000 ml and 10000 ml.

Tall-form beaker or Berzelius beaker is tall and narrow and it is also available in different sizes. The common sizes are 50 ml, 100 ml, 150 ml, 250 ml, 400 ml, 500 ml, 600 ml, 800 ml, 1000 ml, 2000 ml, 3000 ml and 5000 ml.
Thick-walled beaker or heavy duty beaker is made for strong laboratory work and heating purpose. The common sizes are 150 ml, 250 ml, 400 ml, 600 ml, 1000 ml, 2000 ml, 4000 ml and 5000 ml.
Small size beakers are used for handling small volume of chemical and sample. Large size beakers are used for preparation, mixing and heating of more amount of liquids.

Applications of Beaker

The following are the important applications of Beaker–

Beakers are used for mixing chemical solutions and blending different liquids. It is also used for dissolving solid reagents during sample preparation.
Beakers are used for heating liquids over Bunsen burner or hot plate. It is also used for boiling, hot-bath heating and cooling of heated solutions.
Beakers are used as temporary storage vessel for liquids and solids. It is used to hold samples during reaction or to keep waste liquid before disposal.

Beakers are used for transferring liquids from one container to another. The spout helps in pouring the liquid in controlled way.
Beakers are used for decanting supernatant liquid. The wide mouth and spout makes the transfer easy and less spilling.
Beakers are used for approximate measurement of liquid volume. The graduation marks present on the side are used when accurate measurement is not required.

Beakers are used to perform simple chemical reactions. Tall-form beakers are also used in titration and chemical analysis.
Beakers are used in gas-evolving reactions. It gives enough space for reaction mixture and gas formation.
Beakers are placed under funnel during filtration. It is used to collect the filtered liquid or filtrate.

Flat beakers or crystallizing dishes are used for evaporation of solvent. It also helps in formation and growth of crystals.
Beakers are used in pharmaceutical laboratory for drug formulation and preparation of solution.
Beakers are used in microbiology work for culture preparation and microbial growth related works.

Plastic beakers are used in gamma spectral analysis and other specific laboratory works where glass is not suitable.
Beakers are also used for collecting environmental samples like water and soil during field or laboratory study.

Advantages of a Beaker

The following are the important advantages of Beaker–

Beaker is used for many routine laboratory works. It is used for mixing, heating, stirring and temporary storage of liquids.

It has simple cylindrical structure and wide mouth. So, solid reagents can be added easily and stirring rod or thermometer can be inserted without difficulty.
Beaker is easy to clean after use. The wide opening helps to wash the inner surface properly.
It has a small pouring spout at the top. This helps to transfer liquids in a controlled way and reduces spilling.

The flat bottom of beaker gives good stability. It can stand properly on laboratory bench, hot plate or wire gauze.
Borosilicate glass beaker is transparent. So, chemical reaction, colour change and precipitation can be observed easily.
Borosilicate glass beaker can resist heat and sudden temperature change to some extent. It is also resistant to many chemicals.

The graduation marks present on the side are used for quick volume estimation. It is useful when accurate measurement is not required.
Beakers are available in different sizes and materials. So, they can be selected according to the type of experiment.
Beakers are relatively cheap and easily available in laboratory. This makes it useful for general laboratory works.

Limitations of a Beaker

The following are the important limitations of Beaker–

Beaker is not used for accurate measurement of liquid. The graduation marks present on beaker gives only rough estimation and there may be error.
For exact measurement, graduated cylinder, pipette or volumetric flask is used. Beaker is not suitable for precise analytical work.
Beaker has wide mouth. So, large surface area of liquid is exposed to air and evaporation occurs faster.

The broad opening of beaker also increases the chance of contamination. Dust and air borne particles can enter into the sample if it is not covered.
Beaker is not suitable for long term storage of chemicals. It is an open vessel and the spout does not allow air tight closing.
Glass beaker may break easily by falling or hitting with other glassware. It can also crack due to sudden temperature change.

Glass beaker is not suitable for some chemicals like hydrofluoric acid and hot alkali. These chemicals can attack the glass surface.
Plastic beaker cannot tolerate high temperature. It may melt, deform or degrade when heated strongly.
Some organic solvents can damage plastic beaker. So, material should be selected according to chemical used.

Standard beaker is not suitable for vigorous swirling. Its straight sides and wide mouth may cause splashing and spilling of liquid.
Beaker cannot provide tight protection to volatile liquids. Vapour can escape easily from the open mouth and spout.

Precautions

The following are the important precautions of Beaker–

Beaker should be checked before use for chips, star cracks or deep scratches. Damaged glassware should not be used because it can break during heating or stress.

Safety goggles should be used during laboratory work. Suitable gloves like chemical resistant gloves or heat resistant gloves are used according to the work.
Glass beaker should be carried carefully with both hands. One hand should support the base and other hand should hold the side.
Hot beaker should not be held directly by hand. Beaker tongs or insulated gloves should be used for moving hot beaker.

Beaker should not be filled up to the brim. About one-fifth volume should be kept empty for safe mixing and to prevent spilling during heating.
Glass beaker should be heated and cooled slowly. Hot beaker should not be placed directly on cold, wet or metal bench because sudden temperature change can crack the glass.
Direct flame should not be applied to a glass beaker. It should be heated on tripod stand with wire gauze so that heat is distributed evenly.

Liquid should be stirred continuously during heating. This helps in uniform heating and prevents sudden bumping of liquid.
Beaker should not be heated to dryness. When all liquid evaporates, local overheating may occur and the glass can fracture.
One should not look directly down into a beaker during heating. Vapour, splash or sudden boiling may cause injury.

Chemical compatibility should be checked before using beaker. Glass beaker should not be used for hydrofluoric acid, hot phosphoric acid and strong hot alkalis.
Beaker should not be clamped too tightly. If clamp is used, coated clamp should be used to prevent glass to metal contact and pressure fracture.
Beaker should be kept away from edge of table or hot plate. This prevents falling and breaking of the beaker.

If a beaker breaks, broken glass should not be picked up by bare hand. Broom, dustpan, tongs, tweezers or rolled tape should be used for safe collection.

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Beaker – Definition, Types, Features, and Applications