Chemistry lab equipment: fitting out a synthetic bench, and the order to buy lab equipment chemistry work needs in when the budget arrives at once

The order to buy in

1. Containment and services first. Fume hoods, ventilation, gas and vacuum lines, emergency equipment and compliant storage for flammables and corrosives determine what chemistry the laboratory may perform at all. These are building works with long lead times and they cannot be retrofitted around a bench full of instruments.
2. Heating, cooling and stirring. Hotplate stirrers, heating mantles, chillers, a rotary evaporator and a vacuum source cover the great majority of synthetic operations. Buy more stirrer positions than you think you need, because they are the bottleneck in every working synthetic laboratory.
3. Weighing and measuring. An analytical balance on a proper bench, a precision balance for bulk, and volumetric ware at a grade matched to the work. Site the balance before the bench layout is fixed rather than finding a corner for it afterwards.
4. Separation and purification. Flash chromatography, a good supply of columns and solvents, and rotary evaporation with adequate condenser capacity. This is where throughput is won or lost, and under-specifying the evaporator is the classic mistake.
5. Analysis last, and shared where possible. Spectroscopy and chromatography instruments are the largest purchases and are often better accessed through a shared facility until the workload justifies ownership. An instrument used occasionally is a maintenance liability rather than an asset.

Storage, labelling and waste

Compliant cabinets for flammables and corrosives, segregated storage for incompatibles, and a labelling regime that satisfies hazard communication requirements are part of the fit-out rather than an administrative afterthought. Containers must tell the user what they hold and what it does.

Plan waste from the first day: segregated streams, compatible containers, a collection route and a contractor. Laboratories that improvise waste accumulate a problem that becomes expensive and sometimes dangerous to unwind.

Consumables and the standing order

Glassware, septa, syringes, solvents, drying agents and gloves are a continuous cost, and a standing order with an agreed specification is far cheaper and less disruptive than ad hoc purchasing. Standardise the specification before chasing the price.

Keep a deliberate spares holding for the things that stop work: stirrer hotplates, vacuum pump parts, condenser tubing and the common ground glass joints. The cost is trivial against a bench standing idle.

Common questions

What should a chemistry laboratory buy first?

Containment and services: fume hoods, ventilation, gas and vacuum, emergency equipment and compliant storage. These have long lead times, they are building works, and they determine what chemistry is permitted at all.

How many stirrer hotplates do we need?

More than the initial estimate. Stirring positions are the standing bottleneck in synthetic laboratories, and they are among the cheapest items on the list.

Should we buy our own analytical instruments?

Only when workload justifies it. Occasional use is usually better served by a shared facility or an external laboratory, because an underused instrument still needs service, calibration and someone who knows it.

What labelling is required on chemical containers?

Containers must identify the chemical and communicate its hazards under the hazard communication standard, and the laboratory's chemical hygiene plan should set out how that is applied to working containers as well as to stock.

Browse by service class

• Compare Gene synthesis on advertised prices