Test tube brush

Laboratory test tube brushes: small sized brushes on the left, large sized brushes on the right.

A test tube brush or spout brush is a brush used for cleaning test tubes and narrow mouth laboratory glassware,[1] such as graduated cylinders, burettes, and Erlenmeyer flasks. It is composed of nylon, synthetic, or animal fur bristles of various diameters lined against a rather sturdy wire handle with a looped end for hanging. The wire can be made from a wide range of metals, such as aluminium, bronze, beryllium, copper, and brass.[2] FDA grade brushes are designed to be resistant to acid and other corrosive chemicals, including aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, ketones, ethyl acetate esters, and trichloroethylene.

## Contents

* 1 Sizes
* 2 Types of brushes
* 2.1 Babcock test bottle brush
* 2.2 Adjustable test tube brush
* 3 See also
* 4 References

## Sizes

Test tube brushes come in sizes with the brushes themselves varying from 10–2,000mm in length and 3–200mm in diameter.[2] For example:

Small test tube brush fitting compared to a regular laboratory test tube. Brush length | Brush diameter | Overall length

|
|

75 mm (3") | 12 mm (0.5") | 200 mm (8")
90 mm (3.5") | 20 mm (0.75") | 230 mm (9")
100 mm (4") | 35 mm (1⁠3/8⁠") | 275 mm (11")
115 mm (4.5") | 40 mm (1⁠5/8⁠") | 330 mm (13")

## Types of brushes

Demonstration of test tube cleaning by using a small sized test tube brush.

Brushes are designed for the purpose of cleaning test tubes, therefore are developed to be able to reach all corners of the glassware.[3]

Tip type | Description

|

Radial tip | Round tufted tip allows for a curved brush edge, protecting the glassware from contact against the twisted metal wire handle.[4]
Stainless steel wire stem radial tip | Similar to radial tip brushes, but more durable and efficient in glassware cleaning.[3]
Tied tip | Bristles are tied together at the tip to facilitate the cleaning of tubes and bottles with narrow openings, capable of expanding at the bottom of the tube without scratching the surface.[3]
Sponge tip | The soft tip enables expansion and absorption of liquid, which results in more thorough cleaning of the tube and protection from scratches.[3]

### Babcock test bottle brush

A Babcock test bottle brush is a specialised test tube brush designed for cleaning bottle neck flasks. It has an extra long radial bristle tip that is flexible enough to enter the narrow neck of various laboratory glassware, and fan out at the bottom of the chamber for efficient cleaning. The middle section of the metal wire handle contains short stemmed bristles that can be used to scrub along the neck of the flask.[5]

### Adjustable test tube brush

The adjustable brush contains a stiff, bendable twisted wire core that forms a loop in the middle, allowing the brush to be adjusted to fit test tubes of various sizes.[6]

Brush length  | Brush diameter (adjustable)  | Overall length

|
|

175 mm (7")  | 25 mm (1") minimum  | 275 mm (9")

## See also

* Brush
* Test tube

## References

1. ↑ "Fan Tip Tube Brushes". Thomas Scientific. http://www.thomassci.com/Laboratory-Supplies/Brushes/_/C03B93F4-117B-4F00-8938-8B696296E508?q=*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aggarwal, Chaitanya. "Chemistry Lab Instruments". IndiaMART IndiaMESH Limited. http://www.scientific-laboratory-instruments.com/chemistry-lab-instruments.html#test-tube-brush.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Nylon Sponge Tube Brush, 10" Handle, 3"L x 1.5" Dia Brush; 12/Pk". Chemoscience (Thailand) Co., Ltd.. http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/Nylon_Sponge_Tube_Brush_10_Handle_3_L_x_1_5_Dia_Brush_12_Pk/EW-84551-61.
4. ↑ "Test Tube Brushes, Radial Tip". VWR. https://us.vwr.com/store/catalog/product.jsp?product_id=4533707.
5. ↑ "Babcock Cream Test Bottle Brush". VWR. https://us.vwr.com/store/catalog/product.jsp?product_id=4539782.
6. ↑ "Adjustable Test Tube Brush". Laboratory Sales and Service LLC. 2009. http://www.laboratorysales.net/adjustable-test-tube-brush.aspx.

* v
* t
* e

Laboratory equipment

General

* Heaters
* Dryers

* Alcohol burner
* Bunsen burner
* Desiccator
* Heating mantle
* Hot plate
* Lab oven
* Kiln
* Meker–Fisher burner
* Striker
* Teclu burner
* Water bath
* Vacuum dry box

|

* Mixers
* Shakers

* Chemostat
* Homogenizer
* Liquid whistle
* Magnetic stirrer
* Mortar and pestle
* Shaker
* Sonicator
* Static mixer
* Stirring rod
* Vortex mixer
* Wash bottle

* Stands
* Clamps
* Holders

* Beaker clamp
* Clamp holder
* Tripod
* Burette clamp
* Extension clamp
* Flask clamp
* Funnel support
* Iron ring
* Pinch clamp
* Retort stand
* Screw clamp
* Test tube holder
* Test tube rack
* Wire gauze
* Lab drying rack

* Containers
* Storage

* Agar plate
* Cryogenic storage dewar
* Incubator
* Laminar flow cabinet
* Microtiter plate
* Petri dish
* Picotiter plate
* Refrigerator
* Weighing boat
* Weighing dish

Other items|

* Aspirator
* Autoclave
* Balance brush
* Cork borer
* Crucible
* Filter paper
* File
* Forceps
* Centrifuge
* Microscope
* Pipeclay triangle
* Spectrophotometer
* Splint
* Stopper
* Scoopula
* Spatula
* Test tube brush
* Wire brush
* Inoculation needle
* Inoculation loop

Glassware

| Apparatus|

* Dean–Stark
* Soxhlet extractor
* Kipp's

|

Bottles|

* Boston round
* Pycnometer

Condensers|

* Cold finger
* Liebig

Dishes|

* Evaporating
* Petri
* Syracuse
* Watch glass

Flasks|

* Büchner
* Vacuum (Dewar)
* Erlenmeyer
* Fernbach
* Fleaker
* Florence
* Retort
* Round-bottom
* Schlenk
* Volumetric

Funnels|

* Büchner
* Hirsch
* Dropping
* Separatory

Measuring devices|

* Burette
* Conical measure
* Cuvette
* Eudiometer
* Graduated cylinder
* Ostwald viscometer
* Pipette
* Pipette (dropper)

Tubes|

* Boiling
* Drying
* Cragie
* Ignition
* Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
* Test
* Thiele
* Thistle

Other items|

* Beaker
* Bell jar
* Gas syringe
* Vial

Analytical chemistry

| Compositional|

* AutoAnalyzer
* CHN analyzer
* Colorimeter
* Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) device
* Gas chromatograph (GC)
* Liquid Chromatograph (LC)
* Mass spectrometer (MS)
* pH indicator
* pH meter

|

Microscopy|

* Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
* Transmission electron microscope (TEM)

Thermochemistry|

* Calorimeter
* differential scanning
* Melting-point apparatus
* Thermometer
* Thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA)

Other items|

* Analytical balance
* Colony counter
* Spiral plater
* Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrument
* Plate reader

Electronics

* Ammeter
* Current source
* Function generator
* Galvanostat
* Multimeter
* Network analyzer
* Oscilloscope
* Pulse generator
* Potentiostat
* Spectrum analyzer
* Time-domain reflectometer
* Voltage source
* Voltmeter

Safety

Personal protective
equipment (PPE)

* Lab coat
* Face shield
* Respirator
* Rubber apron
* Safety shower

Eye and hand|

* Acid-resistant gloves
* Eyewash station
* Glove box
* Medical gloves
* Nitrile gloves
* Safety glasses
* Safety goggles

Other items|

* Acid (solvent) cabinet
* Biosafety cabinet
* Fire blanket
* Fire extinguisher
* Fume hood

Instruments used in medical laboratories

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test tube brush. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Engineering:Test_tube_brush&oldid=620359"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template