by Danny Young
Glassware such as beakers, pipettes, funnels, measuring cylinders, test-tubes, etc. have always been a part of general laboratories. The reason why glassware are used in laboratories is the unique dormant quality that enables it to hold the chemicals inside it.
Though, not all the glassware used at the labs are the same. Experts at https://www.scientificglassservices.co.uk/ say that there are different types of glassware that have there own importance and properties. Some of the common types of glassware used are quartz, soda-lime, borosilicate, and actinic glass.
So let's explore the above-mentioned types of glasses used in laboratories with their importance and properties.
Quartz Glass
Quartz glass is made by melting natural quartz crystals. Mostly this type of glass is used in the lighting and semiconductor industry. It has low iron, potassium and sodium oxides which results in low trace element content. There is a wide range of laboratory-ware available in this material including joints, tubes, flasks, beakers, cuvettes, and crucibles.
Apart from this, there are certain properties of this glass that differentiates it from others, including:
● Great purity
● Superior elasticity
● Excellent compressive strength
● Extremely low thermal expansion
● High thermal shock resistance
Soda Lime Glass
This is one of the common types of glass used in the labs. It is comprised of silica, soda, and lime. Normally, it is used to build food and beverage containers, beakers, cylinders, etc. Also, it is remarkably workable, low-priced, and chemically stable because of its softened position. The actual usefulness of soda-lime glass lies in its affordability. It is extensively utilized for volumetric glassware that does not require heating.
Borosilicate Glasses
The borosilicate glass is most commonly practiced in the science industry, because of its superior stability, and thermal shock resistance. Borosilicate glasses stand strong and have shown an ability to resist both moisture and chemical attack. Though there are some of the substances that this glass is not inert to, such as- phosphoric acid, hydrofluoric acid, strong caustic solution.
But apart from this, there are some properties that you must be aware of. They are as follows:
● Corrosion-resistant
● Can resist high temperature easily
● Notably low coefficient of expansion
● Can resist high agitation and thermal stress
Actinic Glass
These are such type of glasses that do not permit the passage of UV light. This is due to a reflective or absorbing material that has been coated or laminated to the surface or between layers of the glass. Generally, this glass is used only in bottles to store chemicals in solution or powder form.
Some of the advantages of using actinic glass are- it is light sensitive and inert to chemicals. Actinic glass stores the compounds securely and is sensitive to UV radiation along with upheld mechanical strength.
Final Words
It is for sure that all the glass equipment has there own role in the laboratory. Choosing the right glass apparatus assures you that you wouldn't get failed in the experiment that you are conducting. So before purchasing such glassware do deep research on these glassware and pick the suitable one for your industry.
