Noun. /Aw-TOE-clay-ve/
by Claire Greene (Whitfield)
What does it mean?
An autoclave is a specialized piece of equipment that uses time, heat, and steam to sterilize objects and liquids.
How do I use it in a sentence?
“When you think about it, an autoclave is like a giant pressure cooker!”
“Don’t forget to autoclave the beaker before making a solution.”
| Image 1. A cross-section of an autoclave with arrows representing the flow of steam through the machine. Image created by the author in Biorender. |
History of usage
The first autoclave was developed in 1879 by Charles Chamberland, a microbiologist and student of Louis Pasteur, who sought to remove contaminating bacteria from growth media. This technology allows physicians, dentists, and scientists alike to ensure their tools and solutions are free of contaminants such as bacteria and fungi. Modern autoclaves were developed in the 1930s and continue to be widely used in medicine & research to practice sterile technique. Only in the past couple of centuries have surgeons routinely cleaned their tools between patients!
Related terms
Steam sterilizer
Fields of study in which this word is commonly used
Medicine, surgery, microbiology, dentistry, genetics, cell culture
