Spatula, Chattaway (Micro)

Quick Answer: A Chattaway spatula is a slender double-ended laboratory spatula, commonly described as having a flat blade at one end and a blade bent at an angle at the other. This micro version is sized for lifting small portions of powder or crystals from bottles and vials.

The Bent End and What It Is For

The Chattaway pattern is recognised by its angled end. With the blade turned up a little from the shaft, it can slide along the bottom of a jar or vial and come out carrying solid without the handle being tilted steeply, which matters when the container has a narrow mouth. The straight flat end is kept for scraping, dividing and tapping small amounts onto a weighing boat.

The micro version is sized for small portions. Organic chemistry and analysis practicals often need only a few milligrams of a solid, for example to pack a melting-point capillary for heating in a Thiele melting point tube, to run a spot test on a tile or to dissolve a sample for chromatography. A narrow blade picks up that amount without the excess that a standard spatula brings with it.

Where the bent end is not needed, a straight micro spatula does similar small-scale work; the Chattaway earns its place when containers are deep or narrow.

Specifications

Applications

• Transferring a few crystals of an organic solid for a melting-point determination
• Taking small samples from narrow-mouthed reagent bottles and vials
• Adding small amounts of solid to a spotting tile for qualitative tests
• Microscale chemistry practicals where quantities are kept deliberately small

Care & Handling

• Do not lever stuck lids or compacted solid with the bent end; it will lose its angle.
• Clean and dry the spatula between samples, since tiny quantities are easily contaminated by residue.
• Store micro spatulas in a tray or rack where the thin blades cannot be crushed.
• Reshape the angle gently if it is knocked flat, rather than bending it back and forth.

Why Choose LabEquip

Organic chemistry laboratories, college analysis courses and schools running microscale practicals are the usual buyers of the Chattaway micro pattern. LabEquip offers it in the General Lab Products range; use the contact page for class-set quantities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a spatula a Chattaway pattern?

It is double-ended, with one flat blade and one blade bent at an angle to the shaft. The bent end lets you lift solid from the bottom of a jar or vial without tilting the handle steeply.

Why use a micro spatula instead of a normal one?

When you need only a small amount, such as a few milligrams for a melting-point capillary, a narrow blade picks up just that. A larger spatula brings far more than needed, which wastes material and slows weighing.

How do I load a melting-point capillary with it?

Crush the dry solid to a fine powder, push the open end of the capillary into it, then tap or drop the tube so the solid falls to the sealed end. The spatula is used to heap and move the powder.

Can the Chattaway spatula be used with corrosive chemicals?

Metal spatulas are generally used with a wide range of solids, but strong oxidisers, halogens such as iodine and some metal salts can attack or be contaminated by metal. Use a non-metallic spatula for those.

How is the bent end different from a spoon end?

A spoon end is cupped and holds a heap of powder. The bent end is a flat blade set at an angle, which is better for sliding along the base of a narrow container and lifting a thin layer.

How should it be sterilised for biological work?

Metal spatulas are commonly sterilised by autoclaving or by dipping in ethanol and flaming briefly. Let the blade cool before touching cultures or samples, and check the item’s rating before autoclaving.

Last Updated: September 2026