Jump to content

What are lab bench tops made of?


Elite Engineer

Recommended Posts

What are they made of? The one's you used in high school or college chem class. Are they made of a specific inert material?

 

Cause if you do home chemistry experiments..you have to be careful of what you use:

 

Wood table top: Cautious of hydrocarbons, heat from exothermic reactions/ burning, acid stains

 

Glass table: Cautious of breaking glass, spilling hydrofluoric acid on glass, leaving stains from reagents

 

Cement floor (in basement): not entirely practical.

 

 

 

Lab bench top: Prevents against all these...what is it made of?

 

 

 

 

Edited by Elite Engineer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found phenolic resin lab benches for sale.

 

Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF) or phenolic resins are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde. Used as the basis for Bakelite, PFs were the first commercial synthetic resins (plastics). They have been widely used for the production of molded products including billiard balls, laboratory countertops, and as coatings and adhesives. They were at one time the primary material used for the production of circuit boards but have been largely replaced with epoxy resins and fiberglass cloth, as with fire-resistant FR-4 circuit board materials.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenol_formaldehyde_resin

Edited by zapatos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Avoid marble or concrete (I think you call it cement). They are not acid resistant.

 

Natural stone can't usually be finished to a sufficiently fine surface.

 

Artificial stone is usually fabulously expensive, but can be effective as others have said.

Epoxy or polyester resin with ground silica / mica / corundum filler.

Corian is very good and relatively lightweight.

 

A cheap alternative for the home might be resin faced shuttering ply, which is pretty hardwearing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.