Reading a burette
Class 12 · Updated 2026-10-02. Published for practice.
Before the first reading
Clamp the burette upright. A tilted burette makes the scale lie.
Fill it, then open the tap for a moment so the tip is full. An air bubble in the tip is delivered later and is counted as solution.
Take the funnel out. A drop falling from the funnel after you have read the burette changes the volume without you noticing.
Where to look
Bring your eye level with the surface. Looking from above or below shifts the reading.
For a colourless liquid, read the bottom of the meniscus. Permanganate is dark, so the bottom curve is hard to see. Follow the surface your laboratory manual tells you to use, and use that same surface for every reading in the table.
What to write
Class 12 practical files usually record burette readings to two decimal places, such as 12.50 mL. Confirm that convention with your teacher before the exam.
Write the initial reading and the final reading. The volume used is the difference. Do not reset the burette to zero between trials unless your teacher asks you to.