Bunsen burner facts for kids
A Bunsen burner is a common piece of laboratory equipment. It is commonly used for heating chemical substances, sterilization, and combustion. It works by burning flammable gas. It is named after Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, a German chemist. He made important improvements on an earlier burner invented by Michael Faraday.
The Bunsen burner can be adjusted to make a flame that is very hot without making much light. This allows seeing the different colors that various chemicals make when they are sprinkled into the flame.
Images for kids
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Bunsen burner flames depend on air flow in the throat holes (on the burner side, not the needle valve for gas flow): 1. air hole closed (safety flame used for lighting or default), 2. air hole slightly open, 3. air hole half-open, 4. air hole fully open (roaring blue flame).
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A Bunsen burner situated below a tripod
