RULES TO BE FOLLOWED IN INORGANIC AND ORGANIC

CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

I. APPARATUSES AND MATERIALS

1. Students work in groups of three or four.

2. Each group will borrow the needed apparatuses and materials from the counter at
the start of the laboratory period. A borrower slip is provided for this purpose.
3. The group should return these apparatuses at the end of the laboratory period. Any
broken or lost apparatus will be charged to the group.

II. EXPERIMENT REPORT

1. The official experiment paper with the HNU letterhead should be used for the first
page of each report. For the succeeding pages, the ordinary long bond paper may
be used.
2. Reports are due one week after the completion of the experiment. These reports
should be collected at the start of the laboratory period.
3. Later reports will not be accepted.
4. If the student lacks 30% of the prescribed number of experiments due to absence,
unsatisfactory work or late reports, etc. the student will automatically receive a
grade of 5.0.
5. If a student incurs a total of 10 successive or non-successive absences, he will
automatically be dropped from the class.

III. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

A. Working in the Laboratory

1. When working inside the laboratory, always wear the lab gown. See to it that the
lab gown is properly buttoned.
2. Wear shoes that completely cover your feet. Do not wear open shoes or sandals
inside the laboratory.
3. Tie back long hair. Take off jewelries and accessories.
4. Wear protective goggles when carrying out experiments involving concentrated
chemicals or while heating chemicals.
5. Eating, drinking and smoking are not allowed.
6. Behave in a careful and cautious manner. The laboratory is not a playground.

B. Preparing to Conduct an Experiment

1. Read the details of the experiment that you are going to perform before coming to
the lab.
 2. Plan your work with your groupmates.
3. Make sure that you use the correct apparatuses and materials.
4. Make sure that you get the correct amount and concentration of chemicals.
5. Organize your work area by arranging the apparatuses and materials on your table
so you can work smoothly.

C. Safety Precautions During an Experiment

1. Do not look down into a test tube, beaker, or flask that contains chemicals while a
reaction occurs.
2. Do not point the open end of the test tube at a person while a reaction occurs. Hold
it up to the light and look at it from the side.
3. When placing chemicals in a test tube, first place the test tube in a test tube rack.
4. When heating a test tube, hold it at an angle with a test tube holder and slowly
move it back and forth across the flame. Point the mouth of the test tube away
from yourself and from your groupmates.
5. When instructed to test for the odor of a substance, hold the container away from
you. Move your hand over the test tube to fan the vapor toward your nose.
6. Procedures that will produce dangerous or foul-smelling fumes should be
performed under a fume hood.
7. Before using the glasswares, check for cracks.
8. Handle hot glasswares with crucible tongs or test tube holders.
9. When inserting glass tubing through a hole in a stopper, first lubricate the glass
tubing with glycerol or water. Hold the lubricated glass tubing wrapped in a towel
before inserting it through a hole in a stopper. Then, push it through a stopper with
a twisting motion.
10. Turn off burners that are not in use. Reach around, not over; a flame.

D. Fire Safety
1. Fires in the chemistry laboratory may be caused by some chemical reactions,
electrical faults, gas leakage, and poor laboratory procedures.
2. Be familiar with the location of water and gas outlets, and fire exits.
3. Know where to find and use fire extinguishers, first-aid kits, fire blankets, and
buckets in case of fire or injury.
4. Smother small fires with a wet towel or sand. If it fails, use the fire extinguisher.
5. If your clothes catch fires, do not run. Cover yourself with a wet blankets or roll on
the floor or use the shower.
6. If a person’s clothes have caught fire, lay the person down, roll the person over, and
smother the flames with the fire blanket.
7. Do not play with the electrical sockets, gas fittings, or flammable chemicals in the
laboratory.
8. Completely extinguish matches after use and place them in a nonflammable
container. Do not throw matches into a waste basket.
9. Apparatus used in heating should be allowed to cool before washing or storing
them.
 10. Hot objects should not be placed directly on bench tops, paper, or other flammable
substances. A cool gauze mat should be used.

E. Precautions about Acids and Bases

1. When making dilute acids, slowly add acid to water, not the other way around.
2. Only the laboratory instructor or the laboratory technician may handle
concentrated acids or strong bases.
3. Listen to your laboratory instructor for proper first-aid procedures in dealing with
accidents while working with chemicals, such as getting them into your eyes or on
your skin.
4. Wear protected glasses or safety goggles to protect the eyes when handling
concentrated acids.
5. When dilute acids and bases are spilled on the skin or in the eyes, immediately wash
the eyes or skin with plenty of water. Strong acids and bases can cause burns. Weak
bases can cause burns if they are left in contact with the skin.
6. Report all injuries to your laboratory teacher, no matter how small.

F. Disposal and Cleanup

1. Note carefully the method of disposing chemicals in each activity and follow
directions give by your teacher.
2. Throw insoluble wastes, such as paper or broken glass in the waste basket. Throw
solid chemicals in proper waste containers. Dispose liquid chemicals in disposal jars.
If directed by your laboratory teacher, solutions may be disposed in the sink with
plenty of running water.
3. Do not return excess chemicals back to their containers.
4. Clean up spills immediately, even if they are just water, to prevent accidents.
5. Before you leave the laboratory:
a. Clean out the equipment you have used.
b. Wipe your working table clean.
c. Check that the water and gas outlets are closed.
d. Make sure that all your apparatuses and materials are kept in their respective
storage places.
e. Place your stool under the table