SAFETY IN THE GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

– GUIDELINES AND PRACTICES –

Our primary goal in the General Chemistry Laboratory is your safety and well
being. Even learning is secondary, but safety and good laboratory practice enhances
learning and success in the lab.
The following pages are intended to provide some general guidelines and
mandatory behaviors for your safety in our lab. These are sincerely meant primarily
for your health and benefit.
Although a chemical laboratory is a dangerous place, it is probably safer than
the average household kitchen or, for that matter, trying to cross highway street. This
is because –
• There are instructors around at all times who are concerned about your safety.
• Safety equipment and help is nearby, readily available, and even works.
• You are or will be aware of dangers and take proper precautions.
• People have spent many hours in designing safe laboratories, safe experiments,
and safety procedures.
• Part of your laboratory grade depends on your using safe working practices.

Perhaps the best rule for laboratory safety we can give you is to think, and to
think ahead. Come to the laboratory prepared and know exactly what you want to
do; prepare an outline of your lab work so you know what’s next. Work slowly and
carefully. Don’t try to rush things in the laboratory. The extra time invested in
working carefully and at a measured pace is more than compensated by the
efficiency resulting from careful prior planning, and your results will undoubtedly
be better.

Lab Coats or Aprons: The Chemistry Laboratory requires that students wear
laboratory coats or aprons when working in an instructional laboratory. Dress
Appropriately (for chemistry lab, not fashion or the weather)
Shose must be worn in the labratory at all times these must be covered-top. No sandals, no clothes
you love more than life, no contact lenses, and long pants are preferable to shorts or short skirts.
Tie long hair back. Wear safety goggles and a lab coat.

Safety Equipment: Walk through the laboratory and learn the locations of all the
safety equipment well enough so that you can indicate their locations on a map of
the laboratory. You should know the place of :
• Exit Doors
• Fire Extinguishers.
• Safety Showers.
• Eyewash Stations.
 • Fire Blanket.
• First Aid Kit.

Accidents: Report all accidents to a Teaching Assistant or whoever is in charge, no

matter how minor, and get first aid.

Unauthorized Experiments: Absolutely no unauthorized experiments are

permitted in the laboratory at any time, for any reason. Do only the experiment,
which has been assigned by the laboratory instructor. Never do any unauthorized
experiment in place of the one assigned by the instructor. Do not change the
designated procedure without the advice of the instructor.

Don't Play Mad Scientist : Don't haphazardly mix chemicals! Pay attention to the
order in which chemicals are to be added to each other and do not deviate from the
instructions. Even chemicals that mix to produce seemingly safe products should be
handled carefully. For example, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide will give
you salt water, but the reaction could break your glassware or splash the reactants
onto you if you aren't careful!

Horsing Around: Absolutely no fooling around or horse play will be tolerated in

the laboratory..

Pipetting: Do not mouth-pipet; use a rubber bulb. As a matter of fact, do not insert
any laboratory apparatus, glassware, supplies, or instrumentation into any of your
bodily orifices.

Ingestion: Never put anything into your mouth or nose, or any other bodily orifice
for that matter, in the laboratory. Not even your finger. Food, drinks, drinking, or
eating is strictly forbidden in the laboratory.

Don't Taste or Sniff Chemicals: For many chemicals, if you can smell them then
you are exposing yourself to a dose that can harm you! If the safety information says
that a chemical should only be used inside a fume hood, then don't use it anywhere
else. This is not cooking class - don't taste your experiments!
Waste: Use the PROPER container to dispose of all waste generated in the
laboratory.
Take Data During Lab
Not after lab, on the assumption that it will be neater. Put data directly in your lab book rather than
transcribing from another source (e.g., notebook or lab partner). There are lots of reasons for this,
but the practical one is that it is much harder for the data to get lost in your lab book.
Good Housekeeping: The last rule of laboratory safety, but one of the most
important, is cleanliness and neatness. Clean up all spills immediately.

If you spill it, clean it up.

If you opened it, close it.
If you used it, clean it.
If you break it, replace it.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you turned it on, turn it off.
If you took it, put it back where it belongs.

CRITERIA FOR GRADING THE LABORATORY NOTEBOOK

A component of the laboratory report grade should be for :
1) appropriate organization and representation of data,
2) correctness and completeness of calculations of results and error analysis, and
3) competent technical writing.
The laboratory notebook will be graded on a 10 point scale. The following criteria
will be used by the laboratory assistants to grade the notebooks. Use them as a
checklist. You should be able to get a perfect 10 every time if you are willing to pay
attention to detail. It is also possible to get a negative score if you are very careless.

Ser.
Description Mark
No.
Title of Experiment, Date, Name of
1 Partner(s), Objective or Purpose 2
(typically one or two sentences)
2 Experimental procedures 2
3 Data and Observation 3
4 Results, calculations, Units 3
Total 10

Formal Laboratory Report Format (Individual or Group)

• Title Page
• Purpose: state the goal of this lab and an explanation of the chemical
principles on which the experiment is based.
• Procedure: describe the procedure followed.
 • Data Table and Observations: include all collected data essential to the
calculation of required results.
• Calculations: include sample calculations for each step required in arriving
at the final objective.
• Results Table : include all error analysis and statistical treatment of data
• Discussion of potential errors and their impact on your results (be specific).
Discuss your experimental and hypothesis results and their implications with
respect to the methods used. Comment on the relative accuracy and precisions
of the experimental technique.
• Conclusion : Short conclusion of the results with proper units.
• Informal laboratory reports including only data calculation and analysis may
be used between formal reports. Allowing groups reports is recommended.

Exams:
10 %Mid Term: An advisory examination will be covering approximately the first
half of the course. This will be carried out on week 8 of the
semester.
10 % Final : A comprehensive final examination will be given and will include all
topics covered from the beginning to the end of the laboratory course.
 General Chemistry Laboratory Glassware

Erlenmeyer Flask Measuring

Test Tube
Beaker (Conical Flask) Cylinder

Burette Volumetric Pipette Funnel

Graduated Pipette

Buchner Funnel Tripod

Thermometer Digital Balance

Round Bottom
Flask Volumetric flask
Test tube holder Bunsen Burner
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.

Radioactive Symbol
Biohazard
Fire Blanket Safety Sign Safety Shower Sign or Symbol

Ionizing Radiation Symbol

Recycling Symbol
Skull and Crossbones Toxic

Harmful or Irritant Flammable Explosives Oxidizing

Corrosive Environmental Hazard

First Aid Sign
 Caution Sign

Fire Extinguisher Sign

Flammable Gas Symbol Nonflammable Gas

Prohibition Symbol Nonpotable Water Symbol Do Not Touch Sign No Open Flames Sign

Do Not Eat or Drink Sign Do Not Enter Sign