The Erlenmeyer flask has a flat bottom, sloping sides, and thin cylindrical neck. Emil Erlenmeyer (1825–1909) was a German organic chemist who displayed an example at a pharmaceutical conference in Heidelberg in 1857, published an account in 1860, and arranged for its production and sale by local glassware manufacturers.
This 2800 ml example was used in the penicillin research program at the USDA's Northern Regional Research Laboratory In Peoria, Ill., in the early 1940s. The “PYREX” inscription refers to a clear, low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass suitable for laboratory glassware and kitchenware. Corning Inc. introduced the brand in 1915.
Ref: Emil Erlenmeyer, "Zur chemischen und pharmazeutischen Technik," Zeitschrift für Chemie und Pharmacie 3 (January 1860): 21-22.
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