# Glassware: Pyrex vs Borosilicate?



## cejohnsonsr (Jan 30, 2013)

I looked through this entire section before asking. I'm curious about the difference between Pyrex & Borosilicate glassware. I'm about to make my 1st glass/labware purchase & I'm trying to be careful of how much I spend. There is quite a price difference between the 2. If It doesn't matter, I'll buy the less expensive of the 2, but if it does make a difference I'll buy the Pyrex. I'm not cheap, just not wasteful. Also, while we're on the subject, how do you folks feel about using glass cookware for things other than heating. For instance, WalMart has small Pyrex & Anchor brand measuring vessels that might do for tasks that don't require heating. They're so much less expensive I just had to ask. 100ml, 250ml & 500ml for around $1.50 -$3.00. One final question. I've seen a few brief discussions of cleaning glassware between uses. I know there are cleaning solutions I can buy. I'm wondering if anyone has discovered an inexpensive method of cleaning that they'd care to share. Again, I'm not cheap, I'm just trying to operate as efficiently & inexpensively as possible. And just so it's said out loud, I won't sacrifice safety or anything else that's right & proper for the sake of a few dollars. It's just too easy to spend way more than necessary if you're not careful. My grandmother called it being frugal. She lived through the great depression & imparted that quality to me at a very young age. Thanks for any help.


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## Lou (Jan 30, 2013)

Pyrex laboratory glassware is (unfortunately now) different than the kitchen/consumer Pyrex.

What's important is that you get borosilicate.


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## srlaulis (Jan 30, 2013)

I admire your signature line, cejohnsonsr. Thanks for putting forth an independent effort.


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## cejohnsonsr (Jan 30, 2013)

Thank you so much. I was pretty sure the difference in price was for the Pyrex brand name.


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## cejohnsonsr (Jan 30, 2013)

Thank you, srlaulis. I do try to work things out on my own as much as possible. My problem at this stage of my learning is that there is so much to read & so many possible posts & articles to choose from that it's difficult to separate the chaff from the wheat. And as I go I discover new things that I need to at least become familiar with before I can proceed with confidence. For instance, now that I know what kind of glassware to buy, I'd still like to know the best way to clean it between uses & whether or not I can use lower grade containers (like Pyrex or Anchor brands from WalMart) for measuring & other things that don't require heating. If you happen to know any of this........... Anyway, thanks again.


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## gold4mike (Jan 31, 2013)

You can use a very inexpensive cleaner called Bon Ami for cleaning your glassware in between uses. It is a scouring powder that won't scratch your glassware.

Don't allow anything to dry out completely and you'll have much less difficulty cleaning up.

Other glassware is fine for non-heat operations. You need the borosilicate for heating due to its resistance to thermal shock.


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## Jimmy (Jan 31, 2013)

Real Pyrex and borosillicate are the same thing. Schott is the same thing. New Kitchen Pyrex is name only. It is flint glass.
Borosilicate glass is more acid resistant and has a lower Coefficient of expansion than Flint glass. So you can heat it and cool it fast without problems. However, It is not stronger than flint glass.


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## Palladium (Jan 31, 2013)

Pyroceram like we use on the forum is a white solid. They also make a clear pyroceram that is clear as glass. I personally have tried to destroy my pyroceram through everyday use and even a few extremes. If i could get a beaker set made of that for Christmas i wouldn't ask for anything else.


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## Jimmy (Jan 31, 2013)

A little interesting story about glass
My grandfather worked for or took a class from Otto Schott around 1905.
He was presented with a set of "Fulminate beakers" for his hard work. They were boro beakers about 10mm thick with a large base like the non tipable coffee cups we have today.
They were pretty much unbreakable. When He passed away, I got them from my father. They were beautiful!
When my grandfather died we found out he had another woman. She came forward and said that a piece of property he had belonged to her. 
She didnt have any proof and no one could find his will so everything went to my father and his brother and sister.
He died in 1985. In 2003 the womans daughter showed up with a letter that my grandfather wrote to this woman in 1982 which she never received. it arrived in the neighbors mail box and he just threw it in a pile and forgot about it until he passed away and someone found the letter and sent it to the woman. She had lost her mind by then so it just went into a box again until she passed. Then her daughter got the letter and opened It. It said that my grandfathers will was sewn into his coat. The same one they burried him in. 
So he was dug up. The will found and the woman got her share of the property.
Unfortunatly, The will also stated thet he would be buried with his prized Fulminate beakers.


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## denim (Feb 1, 2013)

Wow! What a story. Truly amazing.


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## element47.5 (Feb 1, 2013)

That's an amazing story, wow!


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## mikeinkaty (Feb 24, 2013)

cejohnsonsr said:


> I looked through this entire section before asking. I'm curious about the difference between Pyrex & Borosilicate glassware. I'm about to make my 1st glass/labware purchase & I'm trying to be careful of how much I spend. There is quite a price difference between the 2. If It doesn't matter, I'll buy the less expensive of the 2, but if it does make a difference I'll buy the Pyrex. I'm not cheap, just not wasteful. Also, while we're on the subject, how do you folks feel about using glass cookware for things other than heating. For instance, WalMart has small Pyrex & Anchor brand measuring vessels that might do for tasks that don't require heating. They're so much less expensive I just had to ask. 100ml, 250ml & 500ml for around $1.50 -$3.00. One final question. I've seen a few brief discussions of cleaning glassware between uses. I know there are cleaning solutions I can buy. I'm wondering if anyone has discovered an inexpensive method of cleaning that they'd care to share. Again, I'm not cheap, I'm just trying to operate as efficiently & inexpensively as possible. And just so it's said out loud, I won't sacrifice safety or anything else that's right & proper for the sake of a few dollars. It's just too easy to spend way more than necessary if you're not careful. My grandmother called it being frugal. She lived through the great depression & imparted that quality to me at a very young age. Thanks for any help.



FYI - For disolving silver in nitric acid I use Ball Bros brand canning jars. Either 1 qt or 1/2 gallon in size. They are pretty sturdy and are made to take boiling water. I use them cause I happened to have 2 or 3 dozen that I saved from my mother-in-laws stuff. But, don't set a cold canning jar down in boiling water - the base will snap off. Put it in cold water then heat it up. I also use them for catching the rince water out of the buchner funnel. They have a glass ring around the top to help prevent dropping them. 

I have 3 borosilicate 1500 ml beakers that I got on ebay for $15 + $6 shipping. I had four till I accidentally dropped a silver bar into the bottom of one. 3 or 4 of those, 2 or 3 1000 ml and a few 600ml. Pick up 10 or 12 1" diameter test tubes for doing various types of tests.
Mike


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