1 - Safety in the laboratory

Safety in the laboratory must be emphasized. The compounds you will work with do have some hazards

associated with them. Therefore, it is important to follow the safety rules outlined in this lab manual. You

should assume that all compounds encountered in the laboratory are toxic and handle them accordingly. Safety

goggles for eye protection are recommended and lab coats are to be worn by all students at all times when

entering the laboratory. Many chemicals, common in chemical laboratories, will make holes in clothing.

Always wash your hands thoroughly when leaving the laboratory. The location and use of the safety equipment

in laboratory were already discussed in CHE1401 and will be reminded by your instructor the first day the

laboratory class meets. You should become familiar with the proper use of the safety shower, eye-wash

fountain, fire blanket and fire extinguisher.

Report any accidents which occur immediately to the laboratory supervisor.

Safety rules to be strictly followed by all students:

1. Wear goggles when required.

2. Do not touch chemicals with your hands. Spatulas will be provided for handling solid materials.

3. Do not eat or drink in the laboratory.

4. Do not taste any chemical.

5. Do not smell any chemicals directly. Use your fingers to waft the odor to your nose.

6. Do not pipet solutions by mouth. Rubber pipet bulbs are provided at each lab station.

7. Do not put flammable liquids near an open flame.

8. When heating a test tube, make certain that the open end of the tube is directed away from the students.

9. When finished with your Bunsen Burner for a given portion of an experiment, turn it off.

10. Do not sit on the lab benches.

11. Do not engage in games in the laboratory. Failure to follow this rule will result in immediate dismissal from

the lab and subsequent conduct action.

12. Do not pour any chemicals into a sink without authorization from the instructor.

13. Notify your instructor if a mercury spill should occur.

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14. All broken glassware should be cleaned up immediately. The instructor should be notified of all breakage,

especially if a thermometer is involved.

15. Do all reactions involving malodorous, noxious or dangerous chemicals in a fume hood.

16. If a chemical gets on your skin, immediately wash the affected area with large quantities of water. The

instructor should be notified; no matter how insignificant the incident might seem.

17. When pouring one liquid into another, do so slowly and cautiously. To dilute an acid, pour the acid into

the water; never pour water into an acid.

18. No student shall be permitted to work alone in the lab, you should be supervised by a laboratory instructor

(or the lab technician during make up sessions).

19. Exercise good housekeeping practices in the laboratory. Be sure that the lab benches remain free of

disorder during the experiment. In the event of a spill, clean the area immediately and be sure to use a wet

sponge to wipe off the work station at the end of the lab session.

20. Know what you have to do before entering the lab. Read the experiment carefully before coming to the

laboratory.

1 – 1 - Safety rules

The laboratory can be but is not necessarily a dangerous place. When intelligent precautions and a proper

understanding of techniques are employed, the laboratory is no more dangerous than any other classroom.

Most of the precautions are just common-sense practices. These include the following:

1. Wear approved eye protection when required while in the laboratory. Your safety eye protection may be

slightly different from that shown, but it must include shatterproof lenses and side shields to provide protection

from splashes.

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The laboratory has an eyewash fountain available for your use. In the event that a chemical splashes near your

eyes, you should use the fountain BEFORE THE MATERIAL RUNS BEHIND YOUR EYEGLASSES AND

INTO YOUR EYES. The eyewash has a "panic bar," which enables its easy activation in an emergency.

2. Eating, drinking, and smoking are strictly prohibited in the laboratory at all times

3. Know where to find and how to use safety and first-aid equipment.

4. Consider all chemicals to be hazardous unless you are instructed otherwise. Dispose of chemicals as

instructed by your instructor. Follow the explicit instructions given in the experiments.

5. If chemicals come into contact with your skin or eyes, wash immediately with copious amounts of water and

then consult your laboratory instructor.

6. Wear shoes at all times. “Baboosh” shoes are not allowed in the laboratory.

6. Never taste anything. Never directly smell the source of any vapor or gas; instead, by means of your cupped

hand, bring a small sample to your nose (see figure below). Chemicals are not to be used to obtain a "high" or

clear your sinuses.

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8. Perform in the hood any reactions involving skin-irritating or dangerous chemicals and/or ill-smelling

chemicals. A typical fume exhaust hood is shown below.

Exhaust hoods have fans to exhaust fumes out of the hood and away from the user. The hood should be used

when noxious, hazardous, and flammable materials are being studied. It also has a shatterproof glass window,

which may be used as a shield to protect you from minor explosions. Reagents that evolve toxic fumes are

stored in the hood. Return these reagents to the hood after their use.

9. Never point a test tube that you are heating at yourself or your neighbour. It may erupt like a geyser.

Beware of spattering

10. Do not perform any unauthorized experiments.

12. Always pour acids into water, not water into acid, because the heat of solution will cause the water to boil

and the acid to spatter.

13. Avoid rubbing your eyes unless you know that your hands are clean.

14. NOTIFY THE INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT

15. Many common reagents, for example, alcohols, acetone, and especially ether, are highly flammable. Do not

use them anywhere near open flames.

16. Observe all special precautions mentioned in experiments.

17. Learn the location of fire protection devices. In the unlikely event that a large chemical fire occurs, a

powder extinguisher and a CO2 extinguisher are available in the lab.

In order to activate the extinguisher, you must pull the metal safety ring from the handle and then depress the

handle. Direct the output of the extinguisher at the base of the flames. The carbon dioxide smothers the flames

and cools the flammable material quickly. If you use the fire extinguisher, be sure to return the extinguisher

in at the stockroom so that it can be refilled immediately. If the carbon dioxide extinguisher does not extinguish

the fire, evacuate the laboratory immediately and call the security. One of the most frightening and potentially

most serious accidents is the ignition of one’s clothing. Therefore, certain types of clothing are hazardous in

the laboratory and must not be worn. Since sleeves are most likely to come closest to flames, ANY CLOTHING

THAT HAS BULKY OR LOOSE SLEEVES SHOULD NOT BE WORN IN THE LABORATORY. Ideally,

students should wear laboratory coats with tightly fitting sleeves. Long hair also presents a hazard and must

be tied back.

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If a student's clothing or hair catches fire his or her neighbours should take prompt action to prevent severe

burns. Most laboratories have a water shower for such emergencies. A typical laboratory emergency water

shower has the following appearance.

In case someone's clothing or hair is on fire, immediately lead the person to the shower and pull the metal ring.

Safety showers generally dump 151 to 190 litres of water, which should extinguish the flames. These showers

cannot be shut off once the metal ring has been pulled. Therefore, the shower cannot be demonstrated.

(Showers are checked for proper operation on a regular basis, however.)

18. Whenever possible use hot plates instead of Bunsen burners.

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1 – 2 - Science Laboratory Safety Signs

Science labs, particularly chemistry labs, have a lot of safety signs. This is a collection of public domain images

you can use to learn what the different symbols mean or to construct signs for your own lab .

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2 - Common laboratory equipment

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3 - How to write lab report

Title Page

All lab reports have title pages, instructor wants it, it would be a single page that states:

 University logo at the top page

 The title of the experiment.

 Your name and the names of any lab partners.

 Your instructor's name.

 The date the lab was performed and the date the report was submitted.

3 – 1 - Title

The title says what you did. It should be brief (aim for ten words or less) and describe the main point of the
experiment or investigation. An example of a title would be: "Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Borax Crystal
Growth Rate". If you can, begin your title using a keyword rather than an article like 'The' or 'A'.

3 – 2 - Introduction / Purpose

Usually, the introduction is one paragraph that explains the objectives or purpose of the lab. In one sentence,
state the hypothesis. Sometimes an introduction may contain background information, briefly summarize how
the experiment was performed, state the findings of the experiment, and list the conclusions of the
investigation. Even if you don't write a whole introduction, you need to state the purpose of the experiment,
or why you did it. This would be where you state your hypothesis.

3 – 3 - Materials

List everything needed to complete your experiment.

3 – 4 - Methods

Describe the steps you completed during your investigation. This is your procedure. Be sufficiently detailed
that anyone could read this section and duplicate your experiment. Write it as if you were giving direction for
someone else to do the lab. It may be helpful to provide a figure to diagram your experimental setup.

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3 – 5 - Data

Numerical data obtained from your procedure usually is presented as a table. Data encompasses what you
recorded when you conducted the experiment. It's just the facts, not any interpretation of what they mean.

3 – 6 - Results

Describe in words what the data means. Sometimes the Results section is combined with the Discussion (Results
& Discussion).

3 – 7 - Discussion Or Analysis

The Data section contains numbers. The Analysis section contains any calculations you made based on those
numbers. This is where you interpret the data and determine whether or not a hypothesis was accepted. This
is also where you would discuss any mistakes you might have made while conducting the investigation. You
may wish to describe ways the study might have been improved.

3 – 8 - Conclusions

Most of the time the conclusion is a single paragraph that sums up what happened in the experiment, whether
your hypothesis was accepted or rejected, and what this means.

3 – 9 - Figures And Graphs

Graphs and figures must both be labeled with a descriptive title. Label the axes on a graph, being sure to
include units of measurement. The independent variable is on the X-axis. The dependent variable (the one you
are measuring) is on the Y-axis. Be sure to refer to figures and graphs in the text of your report. The first
figure is Figure 1, the second figure is Figure 2, etc.

3 – 10 - References

If your research was based on someone else's work or if you cited facts that require documentation, then you
should list these reference

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