The following eight hazard symbols should be used as guides for the handling of

chemical reagents:

Laboratory Rules and Safety

Chemistry wet laboratories contain certain inherent
dangers and hazards. As a chemistry student working in a
laboratory, you must learn how to work safely with these
hazards in order to prevent injury to yourself and others
around you. You must make a constant effort to think
about the potential hazards associated with what you are
doing, and to think about how to work safely to prevent or
minimize these hazards as much as possible. The following
guidelines are here to help you. Please understand and
follow these guidelines and act according to the principles
behind them to help everybody to be as safe as possible.
Ultimately, your own safety is your own responsibility.
Please make sure you are familiar with the safety
precautions, hazard warnings and procedures of the
experiment you are performing on a given day before you
start any work. If you are unsure of how to do something
safely, please ask the TA before proceeding. Experiments
should not be performed without an instructor in
attendance and must not be left unattended while in
progress. No unauthorized experiments are allowed. No
modification of the experiments is allowed. No work
outside of regular hours is allowed, except under
exceptional circumstances

Safety Rules
Make sure you are familiar with all the safety
information given to you about each experiment
before starting the experiment. This includes your
manual, these safety guidelines, any posted
information or any other information provided to by
your TA.
Always wear safety glasses (including during check-in
and check-out), except when their removal has been
specifically authorized by the TA prior to their
removal. Contact lenses are forbidden. You must also
wear a face shield when requested to by the TA.
You must wear a lab coat (and do it up) in all
Chemistry labs.
Footwear must completely cover the foot and heel (no
sandals, baby dolls, ballet flats, mules, open-toed
footwear, etc.).
You must wear long pants (no shorts, capris, skirts, or
dresses).
If you arrive at your Chemistry lab and do not have the
required clothing, you will be directed to rent or
purchase missing items (glasses, lab coats, disposable
foot coverings and long pants) from Chemistry Stores
before you will be allowed to participate in the lab.
Loose hair must be tied back so as to be out of the
way. Dangling jewellery must be removed.
Do not eat or drink in the lab.
Visitors are not allowed to be in the lab.
Please keep your work area and the common work
areas tidy. Also, please make sure the aisles, safety
showers, eyewash stations and doorways are
unobstructed.
Please leave all glassware, equipment, tools, etc. as
clean or cleaner than you found them.
Please clean up spills immediately. If the spill is large
or is of a hazardous material, inform the TA
immediately. Use spill mix to absorb solvent or caustic
liquids.
Please dispose of waste properly and in a timely
manner and according to the instructions provided in
your lab manual. If you are not sure, please ask your
TA for the proper method of disposal.
Wash your hands before you leave the lab.
Do not remove chemicals or equipment from the lab
except when required to do so for analysis.
Please notify your TA of any serious medical
conditions.
Do not wear earbuds or earphones while in the lab.
Chemical Safety
The vapours of many organic solvents are flammable
or combustible. Do not expose electric sparks, open
flames and heating elements to organic solvent
vapours. UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED,
ASSUME ALL ORGANIC SOLVENTS ARE
FLAMMABLE.
Many chemicals (solid, liquid or vapour) are
poisonous. Do not taste chemicals. If it is necessary to
smell a chemical, do so by fanning the vapours
towards your nose. Never inhale directly. Avoid
inhaling dust or fine powders. Use fume hoods and
personal protective equipment when necessary.
Do not pipet with your mouth.
Be extremely careful when transferring, distilling or
refluxing volatile liquids.
Do not return used chemicals back to the stock
container.
Do not tap flasks under vacuum.
Do not heat, measure or mix any chemicals in front of
your face.
Never heat a closed system – it will act as a bomb!
Never pour water into concentrated acid. Pour acid
slowly into water, stirring constantly. Mixing acid
with water is often exothermic.
Concentrated acids and bases are stored in the fume
hood. Do not carry them to your bench.
Make sure test tubes containing reactions are pointed
away from people, especially when they are being
heated. Pressurized gas cylinders must only be
operated by the TA.
*One of the basic terms used in many natural sciences is density, a
physical property defined as an object's mass divided by its volume.
This means that to measure density, you typically need to measure an
object's mass and volume separately, then calculate its density by
dividing the mass by the volume. To measure mass and volume, you
need the use of several basic laboratory tools.

Graduated Cylinder

The most accurate way to determine an object's volume, especially in the case of
an irregularly shaped object, is to immerse it in water and measure the amount of
water it displaces. A graduated cylinder large enough to hold both the object and
enough water to fully immerse it is the best tool for this job. A graduated cylinder
can also tell you the volume of a liquid simply by pouring it into an empty cylinder.
Don't use a beaker to determine volume, since the scale printed on the side of a
beaker may be less accurate that that on a graduated cylinder, which is especially
designed for measuring

Scale

Mass is one of the most easily obtained measurements. Use a scale or electronic
balance to determine the object's weight, or mass. This measurement is usually
represented in ounces or grams for English and metric systems respectively. When
measuring the mass of a liquid, first weigh the container and then tare the scale
before adding the liquid.

Hydrometer

Density is tough to measure directly and accurately, as it depends on two separate

properties, mass and volume. However, density comes into play with fluids and
floatation, as a denser object will always sink into a less dense fluid, and float on a
fluid of greater density. A hydrometer is a special device used to determine the
density of liquids. Rather than measuring the volume in a graduated cylinder and
then needing to weigh the liquid to determine its mass (and, of course, subtracting
the weight of its container), a hydrometer will float at a different level within a liquid
based on its density. Different hydrometers use different scales for measuring
density, so follow all instructions and measure carefully.

Temperature is one of the most important physical variables that is used to control physical,
biological and chemical experiments. A common requirement in a laboratory experiment is the need
to heat a sample. Several pieces of equipment can do this, including the Bunsen burner, laboratory
oven, hot plate and incubator.

Bunsen Burner
The Bunsen burner is one of the most well-known pieces of laboratory equipment found within
school science labs. It consists of a mixing tube which is used to generate a mixture of gas and air.
Once lit, the intensity of the flame can be varied by opening or closing an adjustable air hole. Bunsen
burners are typically used to heat beakers of liquid in order to induce chemical reactions. Bunsen
burners also pose disadvantages: They cannot control the temperature as accurately as electronic
heaters and using an open flame can be dangerous.

Laboratory Oven

You use a laboratory oven to heat samples (usually solids) to a set temperature, for a given amount
of time, within an enclosed environment. The devices are used across the scientific disciplines for
annealing, drying and sterilization. Unlike standard cooking ovens, laboratory ovens offer accuracy
and uniformity of set temperatures. Laboratory ovens are designed to ensure that every point within
the device is at the target temperature.

Hot Plate

Hot plates are simple electrical appliances used to heat samples within the air. They consist of a
heating top and a number of controls to change the temperature. Hot plates are generally used
when the desired temperature is above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) and are
regarded to be much safer than open-flame heaters such as Bunsen burners.

Laboratory Incubator

You use a laboratory incubator to heat a biological sample to a set temperature, which has usually
been set to optimize the growth of the biological sample. Two main types of incubators include gas
and microbiological incubators. The gas incubator is a sealed oven-like device that pumps a set
concentration of carbon dioxide into the incubation space. This allows the control of humidity and
pH as well as temperature. A microbiological incubator does not inject gas into the incubation space
and is essentially a laboratory oven that works between 5 to 70 degrees Celsius (41 to 158 degrees
Fahrenheit). This makes them useful for the growth and storage of bacterial cultures that do not
require specific humidity and pH conditions.

Laboratory equipment used for holding liquids is utilized when working in a laboratory either in
school or professionally. The purpose of using laboratory equipment is to safely and accurately
perform experiments or take measurements. Using the proper laboratory equipment for their
intended purpose is essential when conducting experiments for your safety and the safety of others.

Beakers

Beakers come in different sizes and are usually cylindrical with a spout for pouring liquids. They are
specifically used to hold, mix, stir and heat liquids.

Bottles

Bottles usually have a straight neck and can be used for storing, mixing and for displaying liquids.
Some glass bottles used for storing liquids are amber in color to prevent light from affecting its
contents. Like beakers, bottles come in different shapes and sizes and can be used with a stopper.
Thermometer

A thermometer is used to measure the temperature of liquids as well as other compounds.

Thermometers are marked with a calibrated scale to be able to determine the temperature taken.

Pipettes Burettes and Funnels

A pipette, also known as a chemical dropper, is a glass or plastic tube used to suction small amounts
of liquid to enable to transfer the liquid from one place another. They come in different types, each
used for a specific purpose either for laboratory experiments or medical tests.

A burette is cylindrical equipment made of glass with a stopcock at the bottom. It is used in
experiments to accurately measure small quantities of liquid.

A funnel is a laboratory instrument used to pour liquids into another container without the risk of
spilling the liquid. This is made possible by the funnel’s shape, which includes a wide mouth and a
narrow tube. The tube can be inserted into the container where the liquid will be poured into.

Evaporating Dish

Evaporating dishes are usually made of glazed porcelain and are used to heat and evaporate liquids
under high heat. Some evaporating dishes have a spout for pouring liquids.

Flasks

A round-bottom flask, also known as round-bottomed flask or Erlenmeyer Bulb, is used for heating
or boiling liquids evenly. They have a cone shaped neck with a spherical bottom and are mainly used
in distillation experiments.

A volumetric flask is made of glass or plastic and is used for volumetric analysis and to prepare
solutions. They have a long neck, a flat bottomed bulb and usually used with a stopper. Like bottles,
they are sometimes amber in color to prevent light from affecting the contents.

An Erlenmeyer flask, also known as a conical flask or E-flask, is a container used to heat and store
liquids. It has a flat base, a cone-shaped body, and a cylindrical neck, thereby heating faster because
of its wider surface. Additionally, its shape allows it to be used with a stopper, to be stirred during an
experiment, keeps it from falling over and keeps liquid from spilling.

Stir Rod
A stir rod is usually made of glass to be able to withstand high temperatures and is used to mix
chemicals and liquids.

Balances and scales have dated back to Ancient Egypt, used for trading goods. A simplistic equal-arm
balance on a fulcrum was often used to compare two weights. Today, scales are much more
complicated and have a multitude of uses, which range from laboratory weighing of chemicals, to
weighing of packages for shipping purposes. Scales are used all around us!

Analytical Balance

Most often used in a laboratory, or in settings where extreme sensitivity is required. Analytical
balances are so sensitive, they can even be affected by air currents. They measure mass, which is
useful in chemical analysis as the results are not based on gravity at a specific location – which would
affect the weight. Precision and accuracy in these balances often exceeds one part in 106 at full
capacity, which generally ranges from 1g to a few kg. The delicate internal devices are protected by a
beam arrest, which prevents damage when objects are being placed or removed from the pan. The
pan is the area on the balance where objects are placed. The balance is brought to the reference
position with adjustable leveling feet. The reference position is determined by the leveling bubble,
the spirit level, or plumb bob – an integral part of the balance. A draft shield protects against air
currents affecting the measurement. This is a plastic or glass enclosure that allows access to the pan.

The A&D HR-100 is our best selling analytical balance

Equal Arm Balance / Trip Balance

Much like the iconic trade scales of ancient Egypt – but modernized. This scale incorporates two
pans, placed on opposite sides of a lever. There are two different ways to use this type of scale. The
object to be weighed is placed on one of the pans, and standard weights are added to the opposite
pan until they are balanced. The sum of the weights is equal to the mass of the object. The second
application is to place 2 items on each scale and adjust one side until they are leveled. This is helpful
in applications such as balancing tubes or centrifugation where two objects must be the exact same
weight.

Platform Scale

This type of scale uses a system of multiplying levers, and allows heavy objects to be placed on a
load bearing platform. The weight is transmitted to a beam, which is balanced by moving a
counterpoise. The counterpoise is an element of the scale that acts to counterbalance the weight on
the platform. This type of scale is used for weighing drums of product, or even weighing animals –
for example at a vet’s office.

The A&D FG-150KBM is our best selling platform scale

Spring Balance
This balances uses Hooke’s Law – stress in the spring is proportional to the strain. Spring balances
have a highly elastic helical spring, made of hard steel suspended from a fixed point. The weighing
pan is attached at the lowest point of the spring. When it is loaded up, an indicator shows the weight
measurement, with no manual adjustment. We often see these scales in the produce section of the
grocery store.

Top-Loading Balances

This balance is primarily used in a laboratory setting. They can measure objects weighing around
150g – 5000g. While they offer less readability than an analytical balance, they allow measurements
to be made quickly as most are electric, and offer a digital readout in seconds, making it a
convenient choice when exact measurements are not required. Top-Loading balances are also more
economical than analytical balances.

The A&D FX-120I is our best selling top loading balance

Torsion Balances

Often, microbalances and ultra-micro balances, which weigh fractional gram values, are torsion
balances. Measurements are based on the amount of twisting of a wire or fiber, with a common
fiber type being quartz crystal.

The A&D BM-20 is our best selling microbalance.

Triple-Beam Balance

Less sensitive than a top-loading balance, triple beam balances are often used in a classroom
situation because they are easy to use, durable, and economical. They have three decades of
weights – usually in gradations of 100g, 10g, and 1g – that slide along individually calibrated scales.
These scales offer less readability, but are useful for many weighing applications