Using a Buret

Using a Buret



Burets come in a variety of sizes which usually range from 5 ml up to 100 ml. The valve at the end of a buret is called a stopcock.


1. Rinse the buret two or three times with the liquid you wish to use. Do this by adding a small amount of liquid into the buret, turning the pipet horizontally and rotating it so that the liquid contacts the entire inside surface of the buret. Let the liquid drain through the stopcock into a waste container.

2. Clamp the buret in a buret clamp attached to a ringstand.

3. Fill the buret with the liquid you wish to deliver and read the volume. It is not necessary to adjust the level of the liquid to exactly 0.00 ml, or any other number for that matter. A piece of paper placed behind the buret may make it easier to read. Be careful as the numbers on a buret are opposite to those on a graduated cylinder.

24.34 ml


4. Slowly allow the liquid to drain into the receiving vessel.

5. When the appropriate amount of liquid has been delivered close the stopcock and touch the buret to the side of the vessel to remove any partial drops.

6. Read the volume of liquid remaining in the buret.

21.36 ml


7. Calculate the volume of liquid delivered by subtracting the volume from step 2 from the volume in step 6. In this case 24.36 - 21.36 = 2.98 ml of liquid was delivered.

8. Drain the buret of any excess liquid and rinse it with water to clean it.