Search

a heavy vessel for conducting chemical reactions under high pressure.
pressure cooker.
Medicine/Medical, Bacteriology. an apparatus in which steam under pressure effects sterilization.
to place in an autoclave.
Historical Examples

The author found that in an autoclave of the type shown in Fig. 81 it required ten minutes for 500 cc.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology Charles Bradfield Morrey

Remove the apparatus from the autoclave, and allow it to cool.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique John William Henry Eyre

Choosing two vials, he added them to the sterile kit from the autoclave, and took a last look around.
Category Phoenix Boyd Ellanby

The lower the pressure in the autoclave, the lighter will be the colour of the resultant fatty acids.
The Handbook of Soap Manufacture W. H. Simmons

Steam applied in an autoclave under a pressure of two atmospheres destroys even the most resistant spores in a few minutes.
Manual of Surgery Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles

The method consists in merely charging the autoclave with fats and adding about 30 per cent.
Soap-Making Manual E. G. Thomssen

An autoclave combined with vacuum chambers and other devices that sterilized and canned milk or other liquid dairy products.
Agricultural Implements and Machines in the Collection of the National Museum of History and Technology John T. Schlebecker

Fix the bucket over a large Bunsen flame and boil for thirty minutes—or boil in the autoclave for a similar period.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique John William Henry Eyre

Sterilisation by means of superheated steam is carried out in a special boiler—Chamberland’s autoclave (Fig. 30).
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique John William Henry Eyre

Heat the whole apparatus in the autoclave at 120° C. for twenty minutes.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique John William Henry Eyre

noun
a strong sealed vessel used for chemical reactions at high pressure
an apparatus for sterilizing objects (esp surgical instruments) or for cooking by means of steam under pressure
(civil engineering) a vessel in which freshly cast concrete or sand-lime bricks are cured very rapidly in high-pressure steam
verb
(transitive) to put in or subject to the action of an autoclave
n.

1880, from French, literally “self-locking,” from auto- “self” (see auto-) + Latin clavis “key” (see slot (n.2)).

autoclave au·to·clave (ô’tō-klāv’)
n.
A pressurized, steam-heated vessel used for sterilization. v. au·to·claved, au·to·clav·ing, au·to·claves
To treat in an autoclave.
autoclave
(ô’tō-klāv’)
An airtight steel vessel used to heat substances and objects under very high pressures. Autoclaves are used in laboratory experiments and for sterilization.