Magnetic stirring device

Patent Pending A magnetic stirrer or magnetic mixer is a laboratory device that employs a rotating magnetic field to cause a stir bar (also called "flea") immersed in a liquid to spin very quickly, thus stirring it. The rotating field may be created either by a rotating magnet or a set of stationary electromagnets, placed beneath the vessel with the liquid. Since glass does not affect a magnetic field appreciably (it is transparent to magnetism), and most chemical reactions take place in glass vessels (i.e. see beaker (glassware) or laboratory flasks), magnetic stir bars work well in glass vessels.