Name: _____________________________________________________
Period: _______
Skills Lab – Bunsen Burner
Stamps
Stamp for properly
lighting Bunsen
burner
Stamp for properly
adjusting Bunsen
burner
Introduction – The Bunsen burner is an important piece of laboratory equipment that can be used to heat
objects in the lab. Bunsen burners combust natural gas (methane) with the air in the room to produce heat.
Strikers (using a flint and steel technique) are used to ignite Bunsen burners in the lab. Because they are
used for a wide variety of lab experiments the height and temperature of a Bunsen burner flame can be
adjusted by adjusting the gas flow and air intake respectively.
Purpose: To familiarize yourself with the Bunsen burner and its use.
Materials:
Bunsen Burner
Burner Hose
Striker
Copper Wire
Crucible Tongs
Evaporating Dish
Procedure –
□1. Put on your lab apron and safety
goggles.
□2. Connect the Bunsen burner to the gas
line using the burner hose.
□3. Turn on the gas at the gas valve.
□4. Hold the striker at the top of the
barrel and light the burner.
□5. If the burner does not light, turn off
the gas and readjust the air ports and
needle valve, then try lighting the
burner again.
□6. Using the needle valve, adjust the
flame height until it is 8 – 10 cm high
Figure 1 – Bunsen Burner
(~3-4 inches).
□7. Adjust the air ports until the flame is
blue and has a visible light blue inner cone – no yellow should be present in the flame.
□8. Hold the copper wire with a pair of crucible tongs so that the wire rests on the barrel of the burner
□9. Slowly lift the wire upward until you reach a point where the wire glows bright orange. This is the
hottest part of the flame.
□10. Draw and label a picture of the hottest part of the flame in the Data Table.
□11. Using a pair of crucible tongs, hold an EMPTY evaporating dish over your blue flame for about 2
minutes. Describe how the bottom of the evaporating dish looks after heating in the Data Table.
□12. Adjust the air ports on the burner to give a yellow flame (all the way closed) and then hold your
evaporating dish for about 2 minutes. Describe how the bottom of the evaporating dish looks after
heating in the Data Table.
□13. Wash the bottom of the evaporating dish with soap and water. Be sure to scrub the black soot from
the bottom of the dish.
□14. Return all equipment to where it belongs (if not your bin) and clean your lab station.
□15. Wash Your Hands.
Data:
Data Table: Observations
Drawing of hottest part of flame
Description of bottom of evaporating dish over
BLUE flame
Description of bottom of evaporating dish over
YELLOW flame
Analysis and Conclusions:
1. Describe (in words) the location of the hottest part of the flame.
2. Why is there a difference between how the bottom of the evaporating dish looks after being held in a
yellow or blue (with two cones) flame?
3. How could experimental data be affected if your flame is not properly adjusted?