A

David

Darling

autoclave

An autoclave used for sterilization.


An autoclave is a strong-walled pressure vessel suitable for heating liquids above their boiling point, used in the study of high-pressure chemical reactions, for sterilizing and cooking, and for impregnating wood. The industrial autoclave derives from Denis Papin's "steam digester" of 1679, the prototype for the modern pressure cooker.