Bunsen burner

American  

noun

1. a type of gas burner, commonly used in chemical laboratories, with which a very hot, practically nonluminous flame is obtained by allowing air to enter at the base and mix with the gas.

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Bunsen burner British  

/ ˈbʌnsən /

noun

1. a gas burner, widely used in scientific laboratories, consisting of a metal tube with an adjustable air valve at the base

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Bunsen burner Scientific  

1. A small gas burner used in laboratories. It consists of a vertical metal tube connected to a gas fuel source, with adjustable holes at its base. These holes allow air to enter the tube and mix with the gas in order to make a very hot flame.

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Etymology

Origin of Bunsen burner

First recorded in 1865–70; named after R. W. Bunsen

Example Sentences

Throw on a lab coat, spark a Bunsen burner, and stay close to the eyewash station, but hopefully it won’t come to that.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

Occasionally, they barter or resell groceries for prized items such as a Bunsen burner, which they use to cook dishes such as vegetable soup over rice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2022

The heat given off when you operate a Bunsen burner is equal to the enthalpy change of the methane combustion reaction that takes place, since it occurs at the essentially constant pressure of the atmosphere.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

On Thursday, a construction crew spent hours installing a gas line for the lab when one of the workers lit a Bunsen burner to determine whether it was working, officials said.

From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2015

Once she’d sterilized the cubicle, she lit a Bunsen burner and used its flame to sterilize test tubes and a used scalpel blade, since the Gey lab couldn’t afford new ones for each sample.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot