What Does a Bunsen Burner Do?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 10, 2023

A Bunsen burner is used in a laboratory to heat substances during an experiment. A Bunsen burner is a small gas burner that uses an adjustable flame. The flame is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of gas and air that enters the vertical metal tube.

Bunsen burners can produce moderate to high heat. These heating devices are used to heat liquids in beakers, flasks and test tubes. Although the primary function of the Bunsen burner is used for heating substances during chemistry experiments, this heating device is also used to perform a simple chemical analysis called a flame test. Some elements, mainly metals, emit a particular color of light when heated by the flame of a Bunsen burner.