Heat It: When Should I Use Bunsen Burner, Hotplate, and Oven? 

Some laboratory experiments require an appropriate heat input to ensure that the desired chemical reaction occurs. In addition, keeping the desired temperature is also necessary to complete the corresponding experiment. There are various heating devices available in the laboratory, and three of the common ones are a Bunsen burner, hotplate, and oven. Knowing their purpose is important for a proper experiment. 

Bunsen burners comprise a mixing tube to produce an air-fuel gas mixture, which, once lit, generates an adjustable flame. While it is useful to induce chemical reactions in a beaker or a test tube, the flame temperature cannot be controlled and the practice of using open flame is dangerous. 

Hotplates are heating appliances that provide a safer heating procedure than Bunsen burners and as hotplates produce heat due to the electrical resistance in a heating element, it is possible to control the heating temperature. The temperature can be set higher than 100 ^oC. However, as hotplates only heat the bottom part of the container, a nonuniform heat distribution is produced in the reaction system. Therefore, it takes some time to reach the desired temperature. 

Ovens are used to heating and dry samples, particularly solids, at a specific time within a closed chamber. In contrast to hotplates, ovens heat the gaseous molecules surrounding the sample, and these gases transfer the heat to the sample, providing more uniform heat distribution in the chamber. Ovens also offer the possibility to use an inert atmosphere during the heating process. 

Suci Amelia

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