What is the Difference Between Erlenmeyer Flask and Florence Flask

The key difference between Erlenmeyer flask and Florence flask is that the Erlenmeyer flask has a conical shape, whereas the Florence flask has a round shape.

Flasks are important glassware useful in laboratories to measure the volumes of liquids. Both Erlenmeyer flasks and Florence flasks are two such lab glassware we use to handle liquids. Erlenmeyer flask is a laboratory flask that has a conical shape and a flat bottom, while the Florence flask is a laboratory flask with a round body and a long neck, named after the city of Florence.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Erlenmeyer Flask 
3. What is Florence Flask
4. Erlenmeyer Flask vs Florence Flask in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Erlenmeyer Flask vs Florence Flask

What is Erlenmeyer Flask?

Erlenmeyer flask is a laboratory flask that has a conical shape and a flat bottom. It is a type of titration flask that is important in performing titrations. In titrations, the flask is placed under the burette. Erlenmeyer flask usually contains the analyte of the titration. Moreover, this flask was named after the scientist Emil Erlenmeyer after its creation in 1860.

The shape of an Erlenmeyer flask varies in its base as well as in its sidewalls. Erlenmeyer flasks differ from beakers in their tapered body and narrow neck. We can produce these flasks depending on the application, e.g., using glass or plastic. Also, there can be a wide range of volumes in these flasks.

Sometimes, the mouth of the Erlenmeyer flask has a beaded lip, which is important in covering. We can also easily cover the flask mouth using a ground glass or some other connector.

Buchner flask is a derivation of the Erlenmeyer flask and is important in vacuum filtration. The slanted sides and the narrow neck of the Erlenmeyer flask is important in mixing and swirling things inside the flask without any considerable spoilage. Moreover, this flask is suitable for boiling liquids. During the boiling, the hot vapour condenses on the upper section of the flask, which helps to reduce the solvent loss. Moreover, the narrow neck of this flask allows a funnel to be placed on top of it.

What is Florence Flask?

Florence flask is a type of laboratory flask with a round body, a long neck, and a flat bottom, named after the city of Florence. This container is useful for holding liquids. This specific glassware is designed for heating, boiling, and distillation, as well as for easy swirling. There are numerous thicknesses for glass to withstand different uses. However, it is often produced from borosilicate glass for the purpose of heating and chemical resistance.

A traditional Florence flask does not have a ground glass joint on the long neck. But it might have a slight lip or flange around the tip of the neck. Furthermore, the typical volume we can measure using this glassware is 1 liter.

What is the Difference Between Erlenmeyer Flask and Florence Flask?

We often use the Erlenmeyer flask and Florence flask when handling experiments with liquids. The key difference between Erlenmeyer flask and Florence flask is that the Erlenmeyer flask has a conical shape, whereas the Florence flask has a round shape. Erlenmeyer flasks come in different sizes and volumes while Florence flasks can usually hold up to 1 liter. Moreover, Erlenmeyer flasks are mainly used for titrations, whereas Florence flasks are useful for heating, boiling, distillation, mixing, etc.

The below infographic presents the differences between Erlenmeyer flask and Florence flask in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Erlenmeyer Flask vs Florence Flask

The key difference between Erlenmeyer flask and Florence flask is their shape; Erlenmeyer flask has a conical shape and a flat bottom, while Florence flask has a round shape and a long neck with a flat bottom. Both Erlenmeyer flasks and Florence flasks are very important in titrations and other liquid-involving chemical experiments in the laboratory.

Reference:

1. “Florence Flask.” Chem Europe.
2. “Florence Flask.” National Museum of American History.

Image Courtesy:

1. “250 mL Erlenmeyer flask” By Pilarbini – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Florence-flask” By DMacks – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia