BAGUIDUDOL, JOY P.

Jan 14, 2023

ACTIVITY No. 1 – MICROBIOLAB APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT

Alcohol Lamp

An alcohol burner or spirit lamp is a piece of

laboratory equipment used to produce an
open flame. It can be made from brass, glass,
stainless steel or aluminum.

Analytical Balance

Analytical balances are precision measuring

instruments used in quantitative chemical
analysis, to determine the mass of solid
objects, liquids, powders, and granular
substances. Today, electronic balance uses
the principle of magnetic force restoration,
offering readability up to .0001 g.

Applicator Stick

Laboratory applicator sticks are needed for

numerous laboratory applications, including
specimen transfers and mixing of solutions.

Aspirator

An aspirator is also known as an eductor-jet

pump or a filter pump. This is a device that is
able to produce a vacuum by using the
venturi effect. In an aspirator, there is a fluid
(either liquid or gaseous) that flows through
a narrowing tube. Once the tube starts
narrowing, the fluid's speed is able to
increase. This is because of the
aforementioned venturi effect. The pressure
eventually decreases and from here onwards,
the vacuum is taken from this point.
 Autoclave

An autoclave is a machine used to carry out

industrial and scientific processes requiring
elevated temperature and pressure in
relation to ambient pressure and/or
temperature. Autoclaves are used before
surgical procedures to perform sterilization
and in the chemical industry to cure coatings
and vulcanize rubber and for hydrothermal
synthesis. Industrial autoclaves are used in
industrial applications, especially in the
manufacturing of composites.
Beaker

A beaker is generally a cylindrical container

with a flat bottom. Used for various purposes
—from preparing solutions and decanting
supernatant fluids to holding waste fluids
prior to disposal to performing simple
reactions. Low-form beakers are likely to be
used in some way when performing a
chemical experiment.
Beaker Tong

Beaker tongs are welded steel tools used to

lift a hot beaker from a furnace or for other
items which cannot be handled with bare
hands. Beaker tongs may also be used to
prevent any inaccuracies regarding mass
measurements as any moisture or oil will
affect the readings and accuracy.

Cotton Swab

Disposable cotton swabs manufactured of

USP grade purified cotton firmly attached to
one end of wood shaft. Useful in bacteriology
labs for inoculating broths, plated media or
for obtaining culture specimens. Also useful
for cleaning delicate instruments.

Dropper

An eye dropper, also called Pasteur pipette or

simply dropper, is a device used to transfer
small quantities of liquids.
 Erlenmeyer Flask

Erlenmeyer flasks are conical flasks with wide

flat bottoms and tapered necks. The flasks
are designed for a variety of laboratory liquid
handling applications, including pouring,
mixing, storage, and suspension cell culture.
Fecal Incubator

Incubate total and fecal coliforms, fecal

streptococci and other microorganisms
Complies with Standard Methods
requirements View samples through clear
plastic inner door without opening,
preventing temperature fluctuations
Compact lightweight portable unit for field
use.
Glass Slide

A microscope slide is a flat piece of glass

measuring 75 x 25mm with a thickness of
1mm. Many slides have a frosted section at
one end, on which patient details can be
written to ensure that slides from different
patients are not mixed up. Millions of glass
slides are used in pathology laboratories
every day.
Graduated cylinder

A Measuring Cylinder/graduated cylinder/

cylinder measuring/mixing cylinder is a piece
of laboratory apparatus used to measure the
volume of liquids, chemicals, or solutions
during the lab’s daily work. Graduated
cylinders are more precise and accurate than
the common laboratory flasks and beakers.
Hot Plate

Hot plates are used in a laboratory as a heat

source that can uniformly heat solutions and
materials. They are considered much safer
than traditional Bunsen burners because
there is no open flame involved, just a
heated plate.
Microscope

A microscope is an instrument that is used to

magnify small objects. Some microscopes can
even be used to observe an object at the
cellular level, allowing scientists to see the
shape of a cell, its nucleus, mitochondria, and
other organelles.
 Petri Dish

A Petri dish is a shallow transparent glass or

plastic cylindrical lidded dish, used to contain
a thin layer of agar on which to grow bacteria
and fungi. Millions of Petri dishes are used in
microbiology labs every year.

Pipettes

A pipette is a laboratory instrument used to

measure out or transfer small quantities of
liquid, in volumes of milliliters (mL),
microliters (μL).

Stirring Rod

The function of a stirring rod is to mix or stir

liquids. Mixing will speed up any reaction
that takes place in the test tube or flask. A
glass stirring rod can also be used for
decanting (pouring off) a liquid from a
precipitate or sediment. The rods are thicker
and longer than a drinking straw and made
from a special laboratory glass called
borosilicate. The thickness of the rod makes
it unaffected by cold or heat.
Stop Watch

A laboratory stopwatch measures time

intervals using specific activation and
deactivation points. Analog or mechanical
stopwatches are typically controlled by two
buttons. The first button starts the timer and
the second stops the measurement, and the
elapsed time is displayed.

Test Tube

A test tube is a relatively slim glass or plastic

vessel with a rounded bottom. They are
designed to hold small quantities of
chemicals and feature a flared lip to make
pouring easier. Test tubes can hold liquid or
solid chemicals and can be used to contain
small chemical reactions. The slimness of the
test tube reduces the spread of any vapors
that may be produced by the reaction.
 Test Tube Rack

Test tube racks can be made of wood, metal,

or plastic. Test tube racks are used for
holding test tubes upright when they contain
chemicals, and also hold test tubes upside
down to dry. They can also be used to line up
several test tubes to be used as collection
containers in a distillation.

Test Tube Tong

The test tube holder is a piece of laboratory

equipment that is used to hold test tubes.
They are made out of metal and are used by
squeezing the handles to open the other end,
and inserting the test tube. Test tube holders
are typically used when heating the test tube
is necessary, or when caustic materials are
being handled. Test tube holders are a staple
in most commercial and student laboratories.

Thermometer

These devices are used for the quick

measurement of temperature. It finds its
application in laboratories.

Transfer Loop

An inoculation loop (also called a smear loop,

inoculation wand or microstreaker) is a
simple tool used mainly by microbiologists to
pick up and transfer a small sample of
microorganisms called inoculum from a
microbial culture, e.g. for streaking on a
culture plate. This process is called
inoculation.

Water Bath

A water bath is a laboratory equipment that

is used to incubate samples at a constant
temperature over a long period of time.
Water bath is a preferred heat source for
heating flammable chemicals instead of an
open flame to prevent ignition.