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Dear Readers, Welcome to the latest issue of Micr
Enter any scientific lab and among the first tools you will see is the Bunsen burner-a symbol of scientific innovation. This small instrument has played an important role in countless experiments for over a century, and has helped scientists to heat, sterilize, and ignite the spark of innovation.
The history of the Bunsen burner is from the mid 19th century and it is a story of a world renowned German chemist Robert Bunsen.
In 1855, Bunsen was working at the University of Heidelburg and was partnered with his technician, Peter Desaga, in designing a burner that would make a clean and controllable flame, a requisite for precise chemical experiments. The innovation was the first of its kind.
The Bunsen burner was able to provide a precise combination of gas and air, and instead of the old burner lamps that used to provide uneven, smoky flames, the Bunsen burner provided a constant, high temperature flame that was perfect for laboratory use.
These air openings allow the burner operator to vary the flame produced. A sooty flame, which is cooler and more sooty, is produced when the air holes are completely shut for gentle heating. A hotter flame, which is clean and non-luminous, is produced when the air holes are fully opened for intense heating and sterilization. The Bunsen burner gets to be used for anything from flame tests to microbial sterilization to chemical synthesis because of this versatility.
The Bunsen burner elicits a certain nostalgia which is ascribed to the practicalities of the burner. It is the first real, hands-on science experience e many students encounter. The chemistry lab is where many students first see that blue flame, and is often the start of a lifetime of delight in discovery and experimentation.
The Bunsen burner has advanced with science. It is still used in research laboratories, and is still relied on for quick heating, sterilization, and small-scale reactions, even with the many high-tech instruments and automated systems available.
Today’s laboratories have improved technologically by adding electric heaters, hot plates and infrared burners with controlled safe heat eliminating direct flames. Still, the burners are still used as symbols of curiosity and experimentation.
Countless innovations on controlled combustion and heat application have used the Bunsen burner to prove that simplistic devices can be greatly effective and useful.
One Flame at a Time The impact of the Bunsen burner goes beyond simple lab equipment. It instructs the students on control and precision. It also teaches classroom and workplace safety. It provides researchers with a dependable, unvarying flame which they can use to take scientific advancements to new levels. The unvarying soft blue flame of the Bunsen burner is what makes the heart of the laboratory.
The flame is what drives the laboratory and continues to inspire the rest of the research equipment. The flame is the only thing that has remained unchanged the rest of the laboratory has evolved.
