LABORATORY FLASKS ARE VESSELS OR CONTAINERS THAT FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF LABORATORY EQUIPMENT KNOWN AS GLASSWARE. IN LABORATORY AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC SETTINGS, THEY ARE USUALLY REFERRED TO SIMPLY AS FLASKS. FLASKS COME IN A NUMBER OF SHAPES AND A WIDE RANGE OF SIZES, BUT A COMMON DISTINGUISHING ASPECT IN THEIR SHAPES IS A WIDER VESSEL “BODY” AND ONE (OR SOMETIMES MORE) NARROWER TUBULAR SECTIONS AT THE TOP CALLED NECKS WHICH HAVE AN OPENING AT THE TOP, LABORATORY FLASKS SIZES ARE SPECIFIED BY THE VOLUME THEY CAN HOLD, TYPICALLY IN METRIC UNITS SUCH AS MILLILITERS (ML) OR LITERS
FLASKS CAN BE USED FOR MAKING SOLUTIONS OR FOR HOLDING, CONTAINING, COLLECTING, OR SOMETIMES VOLUMETRICALLY MEASURING CHEMICALS REACTIONS OR OTHER PROCESSES SUCH AS MIXING, HEATING, COOLING, DISSOLVING, PRECIPITATION, BOILING (AS IN DISTILLATION), OR ANALYSIS.