Description

A beaker is a flat-bottomed container equipped with a pouring spout. It is usually made of glass (in which case it can be heated), but some are made of plastic.

The graduations on a beaker are indicative - they are not at all precise. They are only used to give an indication of the volume poured into the beaker, or the volume remaining in it.

Beakers come in several sizes (usually from 5 mL to 1 L): choose a size that is appropriate for the volume of liquid to be poured into the beaker.

Uses

A beaker is usually used to:

• collect an approximate volume of a liquid product (from the container containing the pure product) and then to withdraw a sample (e.g. with a pipette) - this avoids the risk of accidentally contaminating the container that contains the pure product
• gently transfer one volume of liquid product to another container (e.g. fill a burette)
• contain a solution in order to carry out a dosage directly in the beaker, such as a titration (see sheet "How to perform a titration")

A beaker is not suitable for preserving a liquid product because, even if covered with parafilm, it is not hermetic because of the presence of its spout.