A Méker burner (sometimes named Méker–Fisher burner for its distributor in USA) is an ambient air

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools ...

burner that produces multiple open gas

flame A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...

s, used for heating, sterilization and combustion. It is used when laboratory work requires a hotter flame than one attainable using a

Bunsen burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is main ...

, or when a flame of larger diameter is desired, such as when working with

inoculation loop An inoculation loop (also called a smear loop, inoculation wand or microstreaker) is a simple tool used mainly by microbiologists to pick up and transfer a small sample of microorganisms called inoculum from a microbial culture, e.g. for streaki ...

needing sterilization or in some glassblowing operations. The burner was introduced by French chemist Georges Méker in an article published in 1905.G. Meker. . ''Journal of Physics: Theories and Applications'', 1905, 4 (1), pp. 348–354. The Méker burner heating power can be around 3.6 k W using

liquefied petroleum gas Liquefied petroleum gas, also referred to as liquid petroleum gas (LPG or LP gas), is a fuel gas which contains a flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases, specifically propane, Butane, ''n''-butane and isobutane. It can also contain some ...

. Flame temperatures of up to are achievable. Compared with a Bunsen burner, the lower part of its tube has more openings with larger total cross-section, admitting more air and facilitating better mixing of air and gaseous fuel. The tube is wider and its top is covered with a plate

mesh Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. It serves as a thesaurus of index terms that facilitates searching. Created and updated by th ...

, which separates the flame into an array of smaller flames with a common external envelope, ensures uniform heating, also preventing flashback to the bottom of the tube which is a risk at high air-to-fuel ratios and limits the maximal rate of air intake in a Bunsen burner. The flame burns almost without noise, unlike the Bunsen or

Teclu burner The Teclu burner is an ambient air laboratory gas burner, that was created by Romanian chemist Nicolae Teclu in 1882. The burner is most commonly used to heat substances in a laboratory, can be used for sterilisation and sometimes it is used for s ...

References

External links

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Video of Meker burner in use
Burners Laboratory equipment French inventions {{Chemistry-stub

See also

References

External links