A graduated cylinder is a piece of laboratory glassware used to accurately measure out volumes of chemicals for use in reactions. They are generally more accurate and precise for this purpose than beakers or erlenmeyer flasks, although not as precise as a volumetric flask or volumetric pipet. They come in a variety of sizes for different volumes, typically 10 mL, 25 mL, 50 mL, or 100 mL and up to as large as 1 or 2 liters.
Determine the volume contained in a graduated cylinder by reading the bottom of the meniscus at eye level.
In other words, holding the graduated cylinder at eye level, the bottom of the curved surface of the liquid (called the meniscus) is where you read off the mark on the graduated cylinder to determine the volume properly.
See the Related Questions and Web Links for more information and pictures of a graduated cylinder and other laboratory apparatus.
First answer by JEK. Last edit by JEK. Contributor trust: 1779 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 28 [recommend question]
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