Is it worth getting a spirit burner over a bunsen?

[NowakScience]

It would be a lot of hassle getting the gas for a bunsen into my lab so would a spirit burner be a good substitute?

[Phi for All]

Alcohol lamps aren't as hot and you can't control them as easily as a Bunsen burner, but they're good for many things.

[hypervalent_iodine]

It depends what you're trying to do, I guess. A hot plate with temperature control is a better substitute for both of them if you're willing to spend a little extra money, though.

[CaptainPanic]

It matters a lot how much heat you require. I think you want something you can control quite well, so I'd think something like a camping burner is easy and cheap. But sometimes these may be a little too much (their smallest flame still too big).

 

But a spirit burner is just messy (I think it's a yellow sooty flame, right?) and cannot always be controlled, depending on the design.

[John Cuthber]

"But a spirit burner is just messy (I think it's a yellow sooty flame, right?)"

No.

That's about the only point in its favour.

[CharonY]

There are Bunsen burners that work with gas cartridges but operate the same as the gas line ones.

[StringJunky]

http://www.coleparmer.co.uk/Product/Portable_Microburner/WZ-36310-47

 

Edited March 31, 2014 by StringJunky

[AbeMichelson]

Why not get a hot plate? That's what I use for home lab.

[Elite Engineer]

It matters a lot how much heat you require. I think you want something you can control quite well, so I'd think something like a camping burner is easy and cheap. But sometimes these may be a little too much (their smallest flame still too big).

 

But a spirit burner is just messy (I think it's a yellow sooty flame, right?) and cannot always be controlled, depending on the design.

alcohol burns clean, no soot.

[NowakScience]

Why not get a hot plate? That's what I use for home lab.

I was thinking that but although it's ideal for boiling liquids and can reach considerable temperatures, it doesn't produce a flame. In lab settings, hot plates are generally used to heat glassware or its contents, not to produce a flame. I want something that literally has naked flame to it.

[hypervalent_iodine]

I was thinking that but although it's ideal for boiling liquids and can reach considerable temperatures, it doesn't produce a flame. In lab settings, hot plates are generally used to heat glassware or its contents, not to produce a flame. I want something that literally has naked flame to it.

 

Why exactly do you need to produce a flame?

[NowakScience]

 

Why exactly do you need to produce a flame?

It's not essential, I just guessed they were slightly more dynamic than a hot surface.

[hypervalent_iodine]

Dynamic how? Honestly, I couldn't even tell you the last time I saw a bunsen burner in a chemistry lab. Probably high school. We use hot plates these days both because they're safer and because you get a lot more control over your reaction.

[NowakScience]

I'm not sure, it just seems as if a naked flame would be useful for setting things alight, not heating them up.

I'm also not too sure on how the hotplate functions, I was assuming it was only for heating things to a high temperature.

I had a quick look on the internet at hotplates for sale and there seems to be a lot produced for camping and outdoor needs but not many as laboratory equipment.

I'm actually only in high school now and haven't come across hotplates yet, we just use rusty old relics called Bunsen burners haha.

[hypervalent_iodine]

Okay, but why do you need to set things on fire? Usually that's one of those things we try to avoid.

 

The hot plates used in labs are also magnetic stirrers and they can be pricey ($100 or so for a cheap new one), but they're usually pretty good. It would be good to know what is it you're trying to do to be able to tell you what you're better off getting.