Name:______Date______Period:_____

Lighting a Burner

The development of good laboratory skills is essential for obtaining accurate experimental results. In this lab exercise, you will learn the proper use of the Bunsen burner.

High school labs generally contain one of two types of gas burners, the Tirell burner and the Bunsen burner. Tirell burners contain a gas adjustment valve on the burner; Bunsen burner gas flow can only be adjusted by using the gas value on the lab table.

ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES WHEN WORKING WITH A BURNER!!!!!

NEVER LEAVE AN OPEN-FLAME UNATTENDED!!!!!

  1. Inspecting the burner
  2. Compare your burner to the diagrams in the figure below to determine what type of burner you have before proceeding.
  1. Lighting the Burner
  2. Close the air vent by rotating the barrel counter clockwise until it is tightly closed.
  3. Close the gas control valve by turning it counter clockwise until it is finger tight.
  4. Connect the hose to the gas jet on the lab table and to the nozzle on the burner.
  5. Turn on the gas at the lab table by turning the handle so that the gas jet is completely open, it should be parallel to the gas jet pointing toward you.
  6. Working with a partner. One partner should use the striker and squeeze the striker to create sparks holding it close to the top of the burner barrel. The second partner should open the gas control valve on the burner about one-half turn. You should get a yell luminous flame; adjust it to a height of about 8-10 cm high.
  7. Open the air vents and gas supply to produce a blue flame with an inner cone of about 2 cm with no yellow in the flame.
  1. Determining the Temperatures of Different Parts of the Flame
  2. Obtain two wooden splints and cut them in half. The four short splints will be used to test the flame by holding them on edge in the center of the flame with forceps. Be sure to hold the splint steady in one position until you barely observe charring of the wood taking place. Remove the splint promptly at that time, blowing out any fire that may have started. Test the flame at four levels:
  3. Top of the outer cone
  4. Above the inner cone
  5. Middle of the inner cone
  6. Top of the barrel
  7. Record your observations below each time and draw your observations of the wood splints in the space below.
  8. Extinguish the burner by closing the valve at the gas jet, not the burner. Disconnect the hose from the gas jet when you are done.

Top of the outer cone / Just above the inner cone / Middle of the inner cone / At the top of the barrel
Observations
Drawing

To the right, draw a diagram of a correctly

adjusted burner flame. Label the hottest

and coolest parts of the flame.