Bunsen Burner and Boiling Water

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The Bunsen Burner is a laboratory tool that produces a single flame used for heating, sterilizing, and combustion. It can use natural gas or propane as fuel and was named after Robert Bunsen who invented it in 1855. The burner flame’s intensity depends on the air flow in the throat holes, ranging from a cool yellow/orange safety flame to a hot roaring blue flame. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, but its boiling point can vary depending on atmospheric pressure, altitude, and impurities. Boiling occurs when heat causes water molecules to move quicker, leading to the formation of steam.

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The Bunsen Burner is a laboratory apparatus that was named after Robert Bunsen. It generates a single flame and is used for heating, sterilizing, and combusting. The burner operates using flammable gases like methane, propane, butane, or a mixture of liquefied petroleum gases. It was first introduced by Robert Bunsen in 1855 and has since become extensively utilized in laboratories globally for safely igniting a continuous flow of gas.The rubber tubing connects the hose barb to a gas nozzle on the laboratory bench, which typically has multiple gas nozzles, as well as vacuum, nitrogen, and steam nozzles. All of these are connected to a central gas source. The Bunsen burner’s flame is determined by the flow of air through its throat holes. There are different levels of air hole openings: 1) when the air hole is closed, 2) when slightly open, 3) when half open, and 4) almost fully open resulting in a roaring blue flame. The coolest flame has a yellow/orange color and reaches a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius. This flame serves as an indicator that the Bunsen burner is turned on but is not used for heating purposes.

There are various types of flames, such as the Safety Flame, Blue Flame, and Roaring Blue Flame. The Safety Flame is commonly used and easily visible with a temperature of approximately 500 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the Blue Flame can be more difficult to detect, especially in well-lit rooms. However, the Roaring Blue Flame is the hottest among the three, reaching temperatures up to 700 degrees Celsius. It features a light blue triangle in its center and emits an audible noise.

The boiling point of water is either 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit. This boiling point can vary based on alterations in atmospheric pressure caused by changes in elevation. As altitude increases, the boiling point of water decreases.

Increasing atmospheric pressure can raise the boiling temperature of water. Moreover, the boiling point of water can differ based on its purity. Impure water exhibits a higher boiling point than pure water, a phenomenon called boiling point elevation. The movement of atoms, particularly hydrogen and oxygen atoms that combine to form water molecules, facilitates the process of water boiling. Heat accelerates molecular movement, leading to the attainment of the boiling point by water.

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