Florence Flask, Nonsol

Object Details

Whitall Tatum Company

Description (Brief)

This Florence flask is made of Nonsol glass by Whitall Tatum Company. The Florence flask is characterized by a long neck and rounded bottom with a flat base. It is useful as a reaction vessel as well as for heating solutions.

Nonsol was a brand of borosilicate glass developed by the Whitall Tatum Company. German scientists Otto Schott (1851–1935) and Ernst Abbe (1840–1905) first developed borosilicate glass in the late 19th century. Its strength against chemical attack and low coefficient of thermal expansion made the glass more resistant to the chemical and heat stresses of the laboratory environment than any other glass on the market. When it first became available in 1902, Nonsol was among the first American-made borosilicate glasses. The name “Nonsol” likely was a shortening of “non-soluble,” referring to its chemical resistance.

Whitall Tatum Company was among the first American glass companies to manufacture chemical glassware, starting as early as the late 1870s. Based in Millville, New Jersey, the company’s factory produced chemical and other glassware for over 150 years, finally closing its doors in 1999.

Sources:

Estridge, Barbara H., Anna P. Reynolds, and Norma J. Walters. Basic Medical Laboratory Techniques. Cengage Learning, 2000.

Harrison, Charles. Cumberland County, New Jersey: 265 Years of History. The History Press, 2013.

Jensen, William B. “The Origin of Pyrex.” Journal of Chemical Education 83, no. 5 (2006): 692. doi:10.1021/ed083p692.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry 25 (1916). American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Kraissl, F. “A History of the Chemical Apparatus Industry.” Journal of Chemical Education 10, no. 9 (1933): 519. doi:10.1021/ed010p519.

Rosenfeld, Louis. Four Centuries of Clinical Chemistry. CRC Press, 1999.

Whitall Tatum & Company. “Whitall Tatum & Co. Glass Ware,” 1879.

Description

The “NONSOL / W.T. CO.” inscription on the neck of this Florence flask refers to a brand of borosilicate glass that was developed by the Whitall Tatum Company, and introduced to market in 1902.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

From collection of George A. Bender (Accession 286284)

after 1902

ID Number

MG.M-12932.02

catalog number

M-12932.02

accession number

286284

collector/donor number

192

Object Name

flask

Physical Description

glass (overall material)

Measurements

overall: 9 in x 6 in; 22.86 cm x 15.24 cm

See more items in

Medicine and Science: Medicine

Science Under Glass

Science & Mathematics

National Museum of American History

Subject

Science & Scientific Instruments

Record ID

nmah_728706

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-6e17-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa