Quincke's Surface Tension Apparatus
Product Code : LSK-EAST-11176
Quincke's Surface Tension Apparatus (SKU LSK-EAST-11176) is a levelled metal base used to find the surface tension of mercury by Quincke's method, in which a large mercury drop is formed on a horizontal surface and its height measured. It suits B.Sc. physics and engineering physics properties-of-matter practicals. Manufactured by Science Lab Supplies at Plot 448, HSIIDC Industrial Area, Saha, Ambala, India, it is offered directly to colleges, universities, tender contractors and distributors.
Specifications
Each listed feature of Quincke's apparatus has its own row below. Put simply, it is a circular metallic plate standing on three levelling screws, with a sensitive spirit level for setting the plate truly horizontal, so that a mercury drop placed on it takes a symmetrical shape that can be measured.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| SKU | LSK-EAST-11176 |
| Base plate | Circular metallic plate |
| Levelling | 3 levelling screws |
| Level indicator | Sensitive spirit level |
| Measures | Surface tension of mercury |
| Mercury | Not included |
| Manufacturer | Science Lab Supplies, Saha, Ambala, Haryana |
| Country of origin | India |
Applications and Experiments for Quincke's Surface Tension Apparatus
The apparatus provides the level base for measuring the surface tension of mercury, a liquid that does not wet glass and so cannot be tested by capillary rise in the usual way. It is a classic B.Sc. and engineering physics practical in properties of matter and surface phenomena.
- B.Sc. physics: surface tension of mercury by Quincke's drop method, reading the drop height with a Spherometer Three-leg base.
- Estimating the angle of contact between mercury and glass from the same measurements.
- Comparing a non-wetting liquid with water tested by the bubble-pressure method on Jaeger's Surface Tension Apparatus.
Mercury is toxic and gives off vapour: use small quantities in a tray, only under teacher or technician supervision, and follow your institution's rules for spills and disposal.
Standard Scope of Supply
The apparatus is supplied as the circular metallic plate with its three levelling screws and the sensitive spirit level. Mercury is not included and must be obtained and handled under your laboratory's own safety procedures; a spherometer or other measuring instrument can be quoted separately.
Packing, MOQ and Lead Time
Quotations can be prepared for one Quincke's apparatus or for several identical units for a college practical hall. Science Lab Supplies confirms packing, delivery time and price for the stated quantity on each quotation, and measuring instruments for the experiment can be quoted on the same document.
Holding an Importer-Exporter Code, Science Lab Supplies can ship to buyers in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. The business is registered under Udyam as a manufacturing enterprise (UDYAM-HR-01-0014546) and for GST (GSTIN 06ADEPJ0574F2ZU). Begin an enquiry on the contact page or through the enquiry cart; institutions bidding formally can refer to the lab tender page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the plate need levelling screws and a spirit level?
Quincke's method relies on a symmetrical mercury drop on a truly horizontal surface. The three screws and the sensitive spirit level let students set the plate level before the drop height is measured.
Is mercury supplied with the apparatus?
No. Mercury is not included. Laboratories use their own stock, handled in small quantities under supervision because mercury is toxic and its vapour must not be inhaled.
Who uses Quincke's apparatus?
It is intended for undergraduate physics and engineering physics practicals on surface tension, where students measure the property for mercury as a non-wetting liquid alongside capillary-rise work on water.
Is Science Lab Supplies the manufacturer or a trader?
The apparatus is a Science Lab Supplies product: the company manufactures it in Saha, Ambala, India, and answers each enquiry itself, with no distributor standing between the buyer and the factory.
Related Surface Tension and Viscosity Apparatus
The items below cover capillary rise, film tension and viscosity, which complete the liquids section of a properties-of-matter course next to Quincke's method, and any of them can be listed on a single quotation together with this apparatus for one laboratory order.
- Rising Table with Capillary Tube Clamp — adjustable stand with a 12 inch maximum height.
- Searle's Surface Tension Balance — measures soap-film or transparent-liquid surface tension from the deflection of a beam.
- Capillary Tube Apparatus — metal frame 90 mm high holding the capillaries vertically in a water trough.
- Surface-Tension Demonstration Set — 1000 ml plastic vessel, suspension ring and several shaped wire frames.
- Capillary Tubes — clear glass tubes of 1 mm diameter.
- Viscometer Searle's Pattern — inner cylinder graduated in millimetres, with scale pans and a releasing pin.
- Viscosity Apparatus Stokes Method — vertical tube with two rubber-band index marks on a heavy cast iron base.
Browse the full Elasticity and Surface Tension range, the Properties of Matter range for density and pressure apparatus, or all physics lab equipment.
Last updated: 9 October 2026