Beaker, Tall Form, Borosilicate Glass

Quick Answer: A borosilicate tall form beaker is a narrow, deep beaker made of heat-resistant borosilicate glass. It is used for boiling and digesting samples with less loss from spatter, and for stirred measurements where an electrode has to stay covered in a small volume.

Heat and Height Together

This beaker combines two features that suit hot work. Borosilicate glass has low thermal expansion, so it copes with a hot plate or a gauze over a burner far better than soda-lime glass, and it resists hot hydrochloric, nitric and dilute sulfuric acids. The tall, narrow body then limits losses: droplets thrown up by boiling land on the walls, and vapour condenses higher up and runs back into the liquid.

Those two features make it a common vessel for wet digestions, such as heating soil or plant material in nitric acid under a watch glass, and for concentrating a solution by gentle boiling. Hydrofluoric acid, hot concentrated phosphoric acid and hot strong alkalis are the exceptions; they etch borosilicate and call for vessels of other materials.

Against the low form borosilicate beaker, the tall version is less stable and evaporates more slowly, because its liquid surface is smaller. Against a Phillips conical beaker, its straight walls take a stirrer bar and electrode easily but give less protection when a solution is swirled by hand.

Applications

• Nitric acid digestion of soil, sediment or plant samples before metal determination
• Digesting a fresh precipitate such as barium sulfate on a hot plate so the particles grow before filtration
• Boiling distilled water to drive off dissolved carbon dioxide before preparing alkali solutions
• pH and conductivity measurement of warm samples, where the electrode must stay immersed

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Never let the beaker boil dry; once the liquid has gone, the base overheats and can crack.
• Add anti-bumping granules before heating starts, not to a liquid that is already hot.
• Grip a hot tall beaker round the body with beaker tongs rather than lifting it by the rim.
• Before working above boiling-water temperature, check the rating of this particular item.
• Retire any piece with rim chips or scratches across the base.

Why Choose LabEquip

Analytical, environmental and teaching laboratories order borosilicate tall form beakers mainly for digestions and electrode work. LabEquip lists them in its Lab Glassware category, and required capacities can be sent through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a tall beaker lose less liquid when boiling?

Spatter from bursting bubbles strikes the tall walls instead of leaving the vessel, and some vapour condenses on the cooler upper walls and runs back down. That is why tall beakers are chosen for digestions and for concentrating solutions by gentle boiling.

How do I stop a liquid bumping as it boils?

Add two or three anti-bumping granules, or stand a glass rod in the beaker, before you start heating, and keep the heat moderate once boiling begins. Never drop granules into a liquid that is already close to boiling, because it can erupt.

Can borosilicate glass be used with sodium hydroxide?

At room temperature and for short periods, yes. Hot or concentrated alkali, such as boiling sodium hydroxide solution, slowly etches borosilicate and leaves a frosted surface, so prolonged alkaline work is better done in a polypropylene or other resistant vessel where the temperature allows.

Why did my borosilicate beaker crack during heating?

The usual causes are an existing star crack or scratch in the base, heating it empty or letting it boil dry, a flame concentrated on one spot, or setting the hot beaker on a cold or wet surface. Inspect glassware before heating and retire any piece with a visible flaw.

What is the difference between a tall form beaker and a Phillips beaker?

A tall form beaker has straight vertical walls of uniform diameter, so it holds electrodes and stirrer bars easily. A Phillips beaker tapers towards the top, which helps when a solution is swirled by hand because the sloping walls turn the liquid back into the vessel.

How clean does a beaker need to be for analytical work?

Water should drain from the inner wall as an unbroken film; beads or droplets show a grease film that can hold residues. Wash with laboratory detergent, rinse with tap water and then several times with distilled water, and dry in a dust-free place.

Last Updated: September 2026