Chemical flask

Add to album

This flask is one of several pieces of glassware which came from the Department of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh. However, this piece - along with a few others - appears to be later than that associated with the famous teacher, Joseph Black (1728-99).

The round-bottomed flask in thin pale-green glass, with a carefully-made rim, is sometimes used as the lower part of an alembic - used for distillation purposes - called a cucurbit.

Joseph Black had apparently acquired his chemical glassware from the Leith Glassworks, and there is no reason to suppose that T.C. Hope could not have acquired later material from there too. However, there were a number of other glasshouses locally from which this sort of item, which appears to be made of bottle glass, could have been obtained.

Record details

To search on related items, click any underlined text below.

• Online ID: 000-180-001-008-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland Part 2
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  T.1858.275.41
• Date: 1766 - 1799
  19th century
  
• Material: Glass
  Alembic / portion / cucurbit
  
• Dimensions: 340 mm H x 135 mm Dia
  
• What: Alembic / portion / cucurbit
  
• Subject: 4. CHEMISTRY, Apparatus and instruments, general (Departmental Classification)
  
• Who: Edinburgh University (Owner)
  Joseph Black (Owner)
  
• Where: Scotland, Midlothian, Edinburgh, Leith
  
• Event:
• Description: One of a collection of apparatus and instruments from Edinburgh University used by Professors Black, Hope and Gregory - lower portion of an alembic or a cucurbit, used by Dr Joseph Black, 1766 - 1799
  
• References:
  • Anderson, R.G.W. The Playfair Collection and the teaching of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, 1713 -1858. Edinburgh, 1978, p 138. 
• Translations:
• Related Records: