A Bunsen burner is a gas-fueled device used for heating or burning materials in the laboratory. It is a common piece of equipment in chemistry labs and is used for a variety of purposes, including:

• Heating and sterilizing: The Bunsen burner flame can be used to heat or sterilize laboratory reagents and equipment. The ratio of gas to air that is mixed together can be manually adjusted, allowing the user to control the intensity, temperature, and size of the flame.

• Maintaining a sterile field: The Bunsen burner flame can help maintain a sterile field around the openings of experimental containers. By briefly flaming the neck of the container, a heat or convection current is created, which lifts any particles in the air away from the containers opening, preventing potential contamination by airborne particulates.

• Microscopy: Glass slides are sometimes passed through a Bunsen burner flame to remove any dust particles before samples are mounted.

• Modifying glass and metal tools: Bunsen burner flames can be used to modify glass and metal tools. For example, a thin glass rod can be carefully heated and then bent while the glass is still hot to make a bacterial culture spreader.

• Other laboratory procedures: Bunsen burners are also used in steam distillation, the Beilsten test for halogens, melting and boiling point determinations, and for softening pipettes to create capillary TLC spotters/01%3A_General_Techniques/1.04%3A_Heating_and_Cooling_Methods/1.4D%3A_Bunsen_Burners).

Overall, the Bunsen burner is a versatile tool that is used in many laboratory procedures to provide a controlled source of heat.