Activity No.

1
Laboratory Techniques

NAME: Pascual, Grace Ann C. DATE PERFORMED: 8-27-2020

YEAR & SECTION: BSMT-1B DATE SUBMITTED: 8-28-2020

1. Why is it that in heating a liquid using a test tube, the flame should heat the top of the
liquid and not the bottom?

Heating the test tube at the top allows gases formed to escape without forcing the
liquid to come out of the tube. If you heat the test tube at the bottom, the liquid will turn into
gas. The gas will then expand shooting heated liquid out of the tube. This is when accidents
happen as heated liquid or chemical can be bad to a person’s eye. This is also why the test
tube must be pointed away from other person and why the experimenter must always wear
safety glasses.

2. In reading a meniscus, why is it that the eye level should be horizontal to the surface of
the liquid, not too high or not too low?

To get the correct measure of the liquid, you should measure the liquid in the eye
level. Being too low or too high will make an inaccurate measurement as liquid can be
tricky. When you read it too high, the measurements is less than correct reading. If you
read it too low, the measure is more than the correct reading

3. Why do we need to follow the proper laboratory techniques when performing an

experiment?

We need to follow the proper laboratory techniques to avoid accidents. As the

laboratory is wide array of safety hazards, it is important to understand the importance of
lab safety. If something goes wrong, Equipment can be damaged and the experimenters
can also be injured. By following the proper procedures in the laboratory you can prevent
the hazards.