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STIRRER

A glass stirring rod is a piece of laboratory equipment used to mix chemicals and liquids. It is usually made of borosilicate or polypropylene glass, 10-40 cm long and half a cm thick, with rounded ends. Stirring rods are used to mix liquids by providing controlled agitation without direct contact. They can also be used to induce crystallization or break up emulsions. Glass rods demonstrate properties like refraction and electrification in physics experiments.

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151 views

STIRRER

A glass stirring rod is a piece of laboratory equipment used to mix chemicals and liquids. It is usually made of borosilicate or polypropylene glass, 10-40 cm long and half a cm thick, with rounded ends. Stirring rods are used to mix liquids by providing controlled agitation without direct contact. They can also be used to induce crystallization or break up emulsions. Glass rods demonstrate properties like refraction and electrification in physics experiments.

Uploaded by

Alisa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Glass rod

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Stirring rod)

Example of a stirring rod

A glass stirring rod, glass rod, stirring rod or stir rod is a piece
of laboratory equipment used to mix chemicals and liquids for laboratory
purposes. They are usually made of solid glass, about the thickness and slightly
longer than a drinking straw, with rounded ends.

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Structure

• 2 Uses
• 3 Applications in physics

• 3.1 Vanishing rods experiment

• 3.2 Electrification

• 4 See also

• 5 References

Structure[edit]
Stir rods are generally made of borosilicate (commonly known as Pyrex)
or polypropylene. They are usually between 10 and 40 centimeters in length and
about half a centimeter thick. They are created from a single length of thin glass
that is then cut into smaller segments.

• Ends are generally rounded by flame polished to prevent scratching on surface of


glassware which may lead to cracks later on, especially when glassware are
heated.[1]
• Ends may be made into variety of other shapes, for example, flat paddle to
circulate sediment, triangular paddle to imitate rubber policeman and round
button to crush solid.[2][3]
While remarkably sturdy due to their construction, they can break and care should
be taken when putting them under stress.

Uses[edit]
A stirring rod is used for mixing liquid. Chemical reactions often require agitation
to proceed, and the stir rod serves as a way for a scientist to provide controlled
agitation without interacting with the chemicals directly.

Stir rods are used as part of proper laboratory technique when


decanting supernatants because the contact helps to negate the adhesion
between the side of the glassware and the supernatnant that is responsible for
the liquid running down the side. Using a stir rod also grants more control over the
rate of flow, which is important in cases where chemicals may react violently. This
process is also used to pour a large-mouthed flask or beaker into a test tube. [4]
Glass rods can also be used to induce crystallization in a recrystallization
procedure, when they are used to scratch the inside surface of a test tube or
beaker.

They can also break up an emulsion during an extraction.[5]

Stir rod in beaker

It is recommended that the rod be cleaned after each use to avoid contamination.
Glass rods can normally be cleaned simply by placing them in a beaker of clean
water and stirring. [6]

Applications in physics[edit]
These are two classic experiments performed using glass rods.

Vanishing rods experiment[edit]


This experiment introduces students to the concept of an index of refraction in a
liquid. Glass rods are placed in beakers of liquid, in this case oil and water. In
water, the glass rods are visible because the refractive index of water is different
for water and glass. In the oil, however, the glass rods seem to disappear because
they have a refractive index very similar to that of glass, so the light doesn't bend
as it crosses the glass/oil interface. [7]
Electrification[edit]
See also: Triboelectric effect

Glass rods can also be used to demonstrate electrification by friction. This occurs
when there are two surfaces rubbing together. In this instance, rubbing a glass rod
with silk transfers negative charge from it. This effect is known as the triboelectric
effect and can be performed with a variety of materials.[8] Because glass rods and
silk are relatively common, they are often chosen to demonstrate this effect.

See also[edit]
• Magnetic stirrer
• Rubber policeman
• Swizzle stick

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Henry Paul Talbot (1897). An Introductory Course of Quantitative Chemical Analysis: With
Explanatory Notes and Stoichiometrical Problems.

2. Jump up^ http://www.scilabware.com/Stirrers/Stirring-Rods/Glass-with-button-and-paddle-ends/p-113-115-


640/

3. Jump up^ http://www.capitolscientific.com/Nalgene-6169-0010-Stirring-Rod-and-Rubber-Policeman-with-Flat-


Triangular-Paddle-Ends-Polypropyl

4. Jump up^ ""Laboratory Techniques"" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-02-28.

5. Jump up^ "Stir Rods". orgchem.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-09.

6. Jump up^ "Untitled". www.public.asu.edu. Retrieved 2015-07-10.

7. Jump up^ "Vanishing Rods". littleshop. colostate. Oct 6, 1997. Retrieved 2016-02-28.

8. Jump up^ "PhysicsLAB: Electrostatics Fundamentals". dev.physicslab.org. Retrieved 2016-02-28.

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