Bunsen Burners & Lab Burners

A Bunsen burner produces a controlled gas flame for heating, sterilising and flame tests. Fuel comes in at the base and the air vent collar sets the mix: closed gives the visible yellow safety flame, open gives the hot blue one you actually work with.

Not every bench has a gas line. Cartridge burners screw straight onto a disposable canister, and spirit lamps run on methylated spirits where a gentler flame will do.

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A gloved hand lighting a Bunsen burner on a laboratory bench

What are bunsen burners and lab burners?

The air vent collar is the part that matters. Closed, the burner gives a lazy yellow flame that is easy to see and cool enough to leave unattended. Open, it draws air in and burns blue at roughly twice the temperature, which is the flame you actually heat with.

Fuel decides the rest. A bench burner needs a piped LPG line. A cartridge burner screws onto a disposable canister and goes anywhere. A spirit lamp burns methylated spirits for a small, gentle flame with no gas at all.

Common uses of burners in the lab

Where an open flame gets the job done.

  • A lit spirit lamp on a retort stand beside reagent bottles

    Gentle Alcohol Heating

    A spirit lamp offers a small, steady flame for gentle heating away from a gas line.

  • A portable gas burner and a steel mug on a field table outdoors

    Portable Fieldwork

    A cartridge-fed portable stove brings a working flame anywhere a bench gas line can't reach.

  • Tweezers held over an electric loop steriliser beside petri dishes

    Loop Sterilising

    A benchtop sterilizer heats an inoculating loop between uses to prevent cross-contamination.

  • A gloved hand adjusting the air vent on a lit Bunsen burner

    Adjustable Flame Control

    Turning the air vent collar changes the flame from soft yellow to a hotter, cleaner blue.

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