flasks

Flask is a container used to hold liquids. The term covers a range of forms, from everyday portable vessels to specialized laboratory glassware. In laboratory contexts, flasks are usually made of glass or plastic and designed to facilitate mixing, heating, and measuring, distinguishing them from other laboratory containers such as beakers and pipettes.

Common laboratory flasks include the Erlenmeyer flask, with a conical body and narrow neck that reduces spills during swirling; the Florence or boiling flask, a spherical body with a long neck; the volumetric flask, which has a calibrated neck for precise measurement of a single volume; and the round-bottom flask, used for uniform heating and distillation. More specialized forms, like the Schlenk flask, support air-sensitive chemistry and may be fitted to inert lines.

Outside science, a hip flask is a small, portable metal container for carrying alcoholic beverages, usually curved to fit a pocket and closed with a cap.

Materials vary by purpose: borosilicate glass for laboratory use due to thermal and chemical resistance; plastics such as polypropylene for lighter or lower-cost applications. Safety and suitability depend on the liquid, temperature, and pressure; lab flasks may be used with stoppers, clamps, or protective shields to manage these factors.