Use of alcohol lamps

(1) The newly purchased alcohol lamp should be equipped with a wick first. The wick is usually screwed together with multiple strands of cotton yarn and inserted into the wick porcelain sleeve. The wick should not be too short, generally 4-5cm longer after immersion in alcohol.

For old lamps, especially lamps that have not been used for a long time, after removing the lamp cap, the wick porcelain sleeve should be lifted, and gently blow into the lamp with an ear wash ball or mouth to drive away the alcohol vapor gathered in it. Then put down the casing to check the wick, if the wick is uneven or burnt, it should be trimmed with scissors to a flat head of equal length.

(2) If the alcohol in the new lamp or old lamp pot is less than 1/4 of its volume, alcohol should be added. Alcohol should not be too full, preferably no more than 2/3 of the volume of the lamppot. (If the amount of alcohol is too small, there is too much alcohol vapor in the lamppot, which is easy to cause deflagration; If the amount of alcohol is too much, it will expand when heated, which is easy to spill alcohol and cause accidents. Be sure to use a small funnel when adding alcohol so that it doesn't spill out. Burning alcohol lamps, if alcohol needs to be added, the flame must be extinguished. It is never allowed to add alcohol when burning, otherwise, it is easy to catch fire and cause accidents. In the unlikely event that spilled alcohol burns on the table, cover it immediately with a damp cotton cloth. After using the alcohol lamp, the flame must be extinguished with the lamp cap, and it cannot be blown out by the mouth, so as not to cause the alcohol in the lamp to burn and cause danger.

(3) After the new lamp is filled with alcohol, the new wick must be soaked in alcohol, and the wick casing is moved to make each end of the wick soaked, and then its length can be adjusted before it can be ignited. Because wicks that are not soaked with alcohol will burn when lit.

(4) To light an alcohol lamp, you must use a burning match, and you must not use one alcohol lamp to light another alcohol lamp. Otherwise, it is easy to spill alcohol and cause fire. (Sometimes it is okay to use a lighter, but it is easier to burn your hand, and it is not recommended, but you can also use a lighter if you do not have it, and you must use matches for the laboratory operation exam)

(5) If there is no special requirement for heating, the external flame is generally used to heat the appliance. The distance between the heated appliance and the lamp flame should be appropriate, and it is not correct to be too high or too low. The distance from the lamp flame is usually adjusted by the height of the lamp's cushion or iron ring. The heated appliance must be placed on a support (tripod, iron ring, etc.) or clamped with crucible forceps or tube clamps, and it is never allowed to heat the instrument by hand.

(6) After heating or to add alcohol to extinguish the lamp flame, you can use the lamp cap to cover it, if it is a glass lamp cap, after the cover is extinguished, you need to recover it again, release the alcohol vapor, let the air in, so as not to cause negative pressure in the cover after cooling, so that the cover cannot be opened; If it is a plastic lamp cap, you don't need to cover it twice, because the sealing of the plastic lamp cap is not good. It is never allowed to blow it out with your mouth.

The unused alcohol lamp must be covered with the lamp cap to avoid alcohol volatilization, because the alcohol in the alcohol lamp is not pure alcohol, so after volatilization, there will be water on the wick, so that the alcohol lamp cannot be ignited.

(7) When the alcohol lamp is not in use, the lamp cap should be covered. If it is not used for a long time, the alcohol in the lamp should be poured out to avoid volatilization; At the same time, a small strip of paper should be sandwiched between the lamp cap and the lamp neck to prevent sticking.

(8) To use the external flame of the alcohol lamp to heat, when heating the glass instrument, the outer wall of the instrument should be wiped dry, otherwise the instrument will explode, and the drug in the test tube must be heated first, and then heated against the drug part. Do not allow the test tube to touch the wick when heating, otherwise the test tube will burst.