The Teclu burner is an ambient air laboratory gas burner, that was created by Romanian chemist Nicolae Teclu in 1882. The burner is most commonly used to heat substances in a laboratory, can be used for sterilisation and sometimes it is used for soldering or glasswork. It is commonly made from brass or iron.The burner physically consists of a round base, a tube connected to it providing the gas to the flame and a vertical metal tube that directs the flame upwards. The tube has a conical shape closer to the base. The burner was created on the basis of Nicolae Teclu's previous studies on flame spectroscopy and specifically, his experiments including flames positioned at different levels in a tube. Teclu was able to conclude that changing the position of the flame in a vertical tube can affect the splitting of the flame and optimize the heat produced by the flame. As a result of this alteration, this burner compared with the Bunsen burner is able to produce higher flame temperatures: around 2,900 °F (1,600 °C; 1,850 K). The research behind the creation of this burner was first published in 1892. There are some early Teclu burners on display in the Virtual Gas Museum in Poland and also in the Science Museum, London.
Physical components and uses The Teclu burner is a gas burner that is used most often as piece of laboratory equipment for experimental and educational purposes. The Teclu burner is most commonly used for rapidly heating substances using an open flame. While the Teclu burner's primary function is to serve as a piece of equipment that is used in a laboratory, the Teclu burner can also be used for glasswork and even used for soldering. The Teclu Burner can produce a very hot flame of around 2,900 °F (1,600 °C). It is commonly made out of brass or iron. The burner consists on a round base, a tube connected to it providing the flame with gas and a vertical metal tube that directs the flame upwards. The tube has a conical shape closer to the base. The tube dimensions range between 125 and 165 mm (4.9 and 6.5 in) in height and between 13 and 17 mm (0.5 and 0.7 in) in diameter. It is designed with a screwed air valve which can be tightened or loosened for gas regulation. The structure of this device is more simple than other burners, because in the Teclu burner the inner flame is able to be lifted and placed on top of the tube, with its tip pointing upward. This allows for a single flame to be produced out of the tube.
History and creation
The inventor of the Teclu burner is the Romanian chemist Nicolae Teclu. Teclu is most commonly known for his studies of flames. Teclu was born in Braşov, Romania on 7 October 1839 and graduated from high school in Vienna. After graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Munich, he returned to Vienna and attended chemistry classes at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He began his career as a young scientist and assisted Professor Ernest Ludwig. Soon after, he became Professor of Chemistry at the Technical Chemistry Department of the Vienna Trade Academy. He also presented academic lectures on the chemistry of colours at the Academy of Fine Arts. Other notable investigations Teclu was involved in were the burning process of combustible gases, the analysis of natural products and also studies on the composition of paper. Teclu was also constantly occupied with creating and investigating new and more advanced laboratory equipment. The Teclu Burner was created on the basis Teclu's studies and tests investigating the combustion rate of a gaseous mixture in regards to its oxygen content. Teclu conducted an experiment where he compared the flames that were produced when moving the position of a flame in a vertical tube. From this experiment he came to the conclusion that a flame is split into different parts while it is burning- one flame burning on the inside of the tube and one flame burning on the outside of the tube. He described the flame on the inside as very hot, with a green hue that points in a downward direction and is being supplied oxygen that is contained in the gaseous mixture. He noted that the flame on the outside has a blue hue, points in an upward direction and is supplied with oxygen from its surroundings. Using this conclusion and his prior knowledge and research on flames, Teclu successfully created a burner in 1882 where the flame in the tube was able to be lowered or lifted to create a very hot flame.
The first publication of his research behind the creation of the Teclu burner was 10 years later, in 1892 and the publication was titled “Ein neuer Laboratoriums Brenner". This article was issued in the Für Praktische Chemie Journal. The original burner was patented by a company owned by W. J. Rohrbeck Nachfolger which was based in Vienna and a company owned by Franz Hugershoff which was based in Leipzig. A Teclu Burner that was manufactured in the 1960s is currently on display in the Gasworks Museum in Paczkow, Poland. It is made from cast iron and brass and it was admitted to the museum in 1998. Other early makes of the Teclu burner are displayed in the Science Museum in London. Here there are two models of the Teclu burner displayed, one whole and one that has been cross sectioned to examine the inside parts of the burner.
Examples of the Teclu Burner in past experiments
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