A Bunsen burner is a laboratory device designed to heat substances for various experiments. Although many laboratories have switched over to electric hot plates, which have less potential flammability and produce more adjustable, clean heat, Bunsen burners are still widely used and most scientists are familiar with their operation. In essence, a Bunsen burner is a small gas burner with an adjustable flame, manipulated at the base by controlling the amount of gas and air admitted into the burner.

The design of a Bunsen burner includes a vertical metal tube which is connected to a weighted base. The base includes a nozzle to connect with a fuel source, as well as a gas valve and a flue adjuster to control how much air is admitted through small air holes at the base of the tube. The gas mixes with air at the bottom of the tube and then rises to the top of the Bunsen burner, where it can be lit with a match or lighter. A scientist can either hold something in the flame with tongs, or set something onto a sturdy stand designed to be used with a Bunsen burner.

Like many ubiquitous scientific inventions, the Bunsen burner reflects the name of the scientist supervising the lab where it was invented, rather than the actual inventor. Robert Wilhelm Bunsen was a well known chemist in Germany in the mid 1800s, searching for a way to provide clean, safe heat in his laboratory. One of his laboratory assistants, Michael Faraday, invented a gas burner to assist them with experiments, and another lab assistant, Peter Desaga, refined the invention, calling the result a Tirrill burner. This burner allowed for greater control over the flame's height and intensity, and it quickly became associated with Bunsen's lab. As a result, it became popularly known as a Bunsen burner.

Many lab accidents are related to burn injuries or exposed flames, and as a result new students are trained carefully in the use of a Bunsen burner. In general, the scientist should make sure that hair and clothing are secure, and unlikely to fall into the flame. In addition, flammable chemicals should be kept away from the Bunsen burner, and someone should remain by the burner at all times to supervise it. The flexible rubber hose connecting the Bunsen burner to the gas nozzle on the lab bench should also be secure, with no evidence of leaking, and people should be cautious about touching things which have been exposed to the often considerable heat of a Bunsen burner, especially glass objects.