The Bunsen Burner

The Bunsen Burner:

Functions of the parts in a Bunsen burner:

• Barrel --> To raise the flame to a suitable height for heating.

                           Where gas and air are mixed/combined.

• Air holes --> To allow air to enter the burner.

• Collar --> To control the amount of air entering the burner.

• Gas Intake Tube --> To allow the gas from gas tap to enter the burner.

• Base --> To support the burner and keep it stable

• Gas Tap --> To control the amount of gas supplied to the burner.

How to light a Bunsen burner?

1. Close the air holes.
2. Turn on the gas tap and immediately use the lighter and light it up at the barrel mouth.
3. Adjust the air holes for a non-luminous flame.

The different types of flames:

Luminous Flame:

• Produced when air holes are closed.
• Unsteady
• Orange in colour

Non-Luminous Flame:

• Produced when air holes are open.
• Steadier
• Blue in colour

 

Mini Experiment using the non-luminous flame:

Aim: To determine the hottest part of a non-luminous flame.

 

Apparatus:

• Bunsen Burner
• Lighter
• Tongs
• Metal Wires

Procedure:

1. Hold a metal wire(using a pair of tongs) in the inner dark blue zone of the flame for 30 secs and observe the change in colour of the metal wire.
2. Repeat step 1 using 2 more metal wires at the tip of the inner dark blue zone and in the outer pale blue zone.

Observations:
The metal wire glows the brightest red when held at the tip of the inner blue cone, followed by the pale blue outer cone and then, inside the inner blue one itself. Also, the metal wire starts to melt when held in the inner blue cone long enough.

Conclusion:
The hottest part of the non-luminous flame is at the tip of the inner blue cone.

Strikeback:

• Green in colour
• Dangerous; turn off immediately.

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