INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT (BME)

BIOLOGY FOR BME

REPORT FOR
LABORATORY
GROUP 4:

TRẦN ĐẠO QUANG

NGUYỄN THỊ QUỲNH NGA
NGUYỄN BÌNH PHƯƠNG NHI

OCTOBER 8, 2021
 REPORT FOR LABORATORY

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION2
CONTENT4
ANSWERING QUESTION8
CONCLUSION15

POINT FEEDBACK

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 REPORT FOR LABORATORY

I. INTRODUCTION

1. Purpose:
 Learn about biology laboratory regulations.
 Learn safety measures during biology laboratory work.
 Learn to distinguish laboratory instruments, their uses, and functions.

2. Regulation:
 Basic safety rules for laboratory conduct should be observed whenever
working in a laboratory.
 If you do not follow these laboratory safety rules:
-You could endanger yourself and others.
-You could ruin, equipment, machines, and experiment room.
-You could cause an accident (Injure or fire).

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II. CONTENT

1. EQUIPMENT IN LABORATORY
2.1. CYLINDER, BEAKER, VOLUME FLASK

Cylinder (Measuring volume)

- Cylinder is used to measuring the
volume of a liquid.
- Material: Glass or organic polymers.
- For exact figures, we must look at
eye level and meniscus bottom of
liquid ink.
- Unit: ml.

Beaker
- Beaker is used to mixing, heating,
and stirring liquids.
- Material: Glass.
- Shape: flat bottom, with small
spout for pouring and cylindrical.
- There are different sizes from ml- l.
- Most beakers are precise to within
~10%.

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Volumetric flask
- Volumetric flasks are used for
precise dilutions and preparation of
standard solutions. (Wikipedia)
- Material: Glass or plastic.
- Shape: pear-shaped, with a flat
bottom.
- Unit: ml.

1.2. MICROPIPETTE
- Micropipette is used to measure and take solution (< 1mL).
- Type of Micropipette:
+ Blue tip: 100 mL - 1000mL.
+ Yellow tip: 20 mL - 200 mL, 10 mL - 100 mL, 2 mL - 20mL.
+ White tip: 0mL - 20mL.

- How to use:
+ Solution should contain in the small tube.
+ Using suitable pipette to get solution, and correct the level of solution,
attach the tube to the top of the pipette.

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1.3. THE pH METER

- The pH meter is an instrument used to test the alkalinity and acidity of the
solution; the measurement results will be displayed right on the LCD screen
of the device.
- Structure: probe and meter for results.

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NOTE:
USING CAREFULLY.
WASHING CLEARLY AFTER EACH USING.
WAITING FEW MINUTES FOR ACCURATE RESULT.

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2.4. ANALYTICAL BALANCE

- Analytical balance: a type of balance used to measure small masses
in the sub-milligram range.
- Structure: measuring pan and draft shield.
- How to use:
o First, plug in the power, start the machine.
o Second, use a piece of oil paper to fold two diagonals, then place it
on the measuring pan and press it back to 0.
o Finally, open the two side doors. Use a small spoon to scoop the
product onto the paper. Note that we only take approximate results.

2. PREPARING 1M PBS
- Material: NaCl (8g); KCl (0.2g); NaHPO4 (1.44g); KH2PO4 (0.24g), distill
water.
- Making:
o Weight out dry ingredient and add water (add to approximately
300ml or 350ml) in the beaker.
o Using the pH meter to read the current pH reading and we will add
hydrochloric acid slowly to the solution until the pH reading is 8.8.
Then, we pour the solution into the cylinder.
o If the solution has not reached the desired level, then we will add
more water at this time.

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III. ANSWERING QUESTION

QUESTION 1:
Safety precautions for biology laboratory are some safety rules that each
person in the lab must follow strictly in to keep safe during doing the lab works.
For instance:
- Follow tutor’s instructions and the laboratory principles while doing lab
works.
- Wearing lab-coat and closed footwear during doing lab works.
- Take care when handling glassware.
- Use fume cupboard for hazardous chemicals.
- Clean up working bench and experimental tools at the end of each lab
session.
- Dispose wastes in appropriate containers.
- Work in a logical, tidy manner and minimize risks by planning in
advance.
- Make sure that you know what to do in case of fire, including exit
routes, how to raise the alarm, and where to gather after leaving the
building.

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- Do not smoke, eat, or drink in laboratory because of the risks of

contamination by inhalation or ingestion.
- Do not mouth-pipette any liquid.
- Know the warning symbols for specific chemical hazards.
There are three most important precautions:
- Make sure that you know what to do in case of fire, including exit
routes, how to raise alarm, and where to gather after leaving the
building.
 Because if students don’t know how to solve problem in case of
emergency, it can affect extremely bad their health, even in the
worst situation, they will die.
- Put wastes in appropriate containers.
 Because if students dispose wastes in wrong containers, it can affect
badly the environment.
- Follow strictly tutor’s instructions and the laboratory principles while
doing the lab works.
 Most important because if students follow strictly every single rule,
they will not have any mistakes which can lead to dangerous
situations or some cases of emergency.

QUESTION 2:
a) Three types of instruments in the laboratory:
- Containing equipment: Beaker, Tube, Conical flask.
- Measuring equipment: Cylinder, Beaker, PH meter, Analytical balance.
- Transferring equipment: Micro pipette.
b) Main steps of using pH meter:
 Part 1: Preparing for calibrations

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- Step 1: Turn on the pH meter: Before the beginning of calibrations, you

will first need to turn it on and allow adequate time to warm up the
meter. It generally takes around 30 minutes but check your pH meter's
operating manual for exact times.
- Step 2: Clean the electrode: Take the electrode out of its storage
solution and rinse it with distilled water under an empty beaker. Then
blot dry with Kimwipes or Shurwipes.
1.1 Be sure to rinse the electrode in a beaker that different from the beaker you
will be calibrating in.
1.2 Avoid rubbing the electrode because it has a sensitive membrane around it.
1.3 Keep the electrode clean by the appropriate method.
- Step 3: Prepare the buffers: Generally, there are more than one buffer
to calibrating the pH meter. The first is a neutral buffer with a pH of 7,
and the second is a buffer which should be near the expected sample
pH, either a pH of 4 or 9.21. Buffers with a higher pH (9.21) are best for
measuring bases, whereas buffers with a low pH (4) are best for
measuring acidic samples. Once you have chosen your buffers allow
them to reach the same temperature as the pH meter because pH
readings are temperature dependent. Pour your buffers into individual
beakers for calibration.
3.1 Check with the pH meter manufacturer, or current educational or professional
institution, about acquiring pH buffer solutions.
3.2 Buffers should be kept in a beaker for no longer than two hours.
3.3 Discard the buffer when you are finished. Do not return it to its original
container.
 Part 2: Calibrating the pH meter
- Step 1: Place electrode in the buffer with a pH of 7 and start to read.
Press the calibration button to begin reading the pH after the electrode
is placed in the buffer.

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Allow the pH reading to stabilize before letting it sit for approximately 1-2
minutes.
- Step 2: Once having a stable reading, set the pH meter to the value of
the buffer's pH by pressing the measure button a second time. Setting
the pH meter once the reading has stabilized will allow for more
accurate and tuned readings.
Although not necessary, if you stir your buffer before measuring be sure to
stir all other buffers and samples in the same way.
- Step 3: Rinse the electrode with the distilled water. Rinse and pat dry
with a lint-free tissue, like Kimwipes or Shurwipes, in between buffers.
- Step 4: Place the electrode in the appropriate buffer for sample and
begin reading. Press the measure button to begin reading the pH once
the electrode is placed in the buffer.
- Step 5: Set the pH a second time. Once your reading has stabilized, set
the pH meter to the value of the buffer's pH by pressing the measure
button.
- Step 6: Rinse the electrode. Distilled water can be used to rinse. Use a
lint-free tissue, like Kimwipes or Shurwipes, in between buffers to dry
the electrode.
 Part 3: Using the pH meter
- Step 1: Place the electrode in your sample and begin reading. Once the
electrode is placed in sample, press the measure button, and leave the
electrode in sample for approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Step 2: Set the pH level. Once the reading has stabilized, press the
measure button. This is the pH level of the sample.
- Step 3: Clean the electrode after use. Rinse the electrode with distilled
water and blot or dab dry with a lint-free tissue. You may store your pH
meter once clean and dry.
 If a solution is slightly more acidic than a given desired level (for
example 7.4), we can solve this problem by adjusting sodium

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hydroxide to the given solution. Fill a pipette with the sodium

hydroxide solution, add a few drops to the initial solution in the
beaker and wait at least 20 seconds before reading the pH on the
meter. We can use this method because the given solution is more
acidic, and it means that the pH of this solution is lower than 7. Thus,
we need to add sodium hydroxide solution which is basic to increase
the pH level of the initial solution.

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QUESTION 3:
a) 10mL HCL 0.625M (from HCL 2M, distilled water)
Prepare graduated cylinder, beaker, appropriate pipette, and test tube.
-Step 1: Calculate the volume of HCl 2M to prepare 100ml HCl 0.625M.
 C1V1 = C2V2  0.625 x 100 = 2 x V2  V2 = 31.25mL
-Step 2: Prepare 31.25mL HCl 2M in a graduated cylinder and a beaker which was
filled in 50mL distilled water.
-Step 3: Add 31.25mL HCl 2M to the beaker, stir it, and then add water up to
100mL. Then we have the 100mL HCl 0.625M.
-Step 4: Use the appropriate pipette by the instruction to transfer 10mL HCl
0.625M to the test tube. Finally, we have a tube with 10mL HCl 0.625M.
b) 20g H2SO4 15% w/w (from 98%, distilled water)
We have the specific weight of H2SO4 solution is 1.83g/ml.
-Step 1: calculate the amount of concentrated H2SO4 solution to dilute 20g H2SO4
15% and the volume of 20g H2SO4 15%.
20× 15
In 20g solution of H2SO4 15% we have 100 =3 g of H2SO4

3× 100 150
The mass of H2SO4 98% solution is 98
=
49
g

150
Then, the volume of H2SO4 98% solution is 49 ÷ 1.83≈ 1.67 mL

20
The volume of 20g H2SO4 15% is 1.83 ≈ 10.93mL

-Step 2: Prepare cylinder, beaker, and appropriate pipette.

-Step 3: Add 5mL of distilled water into a beaker.
-Step 4: Transfer 1.67mL H2SO4 98% by the pipette into a graduated cylinder to
ensure volumetric accuracy. After that, add 1.67mL H2SO4 98% to the beaker, stir
it, and then add water up to 10.93mL. Finally, we have a 20g H 2SO4 15% from
H2SO4 98% and distilled water.
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c) 20mL 1.5M (from 0.5M solution, .12)

-Step 1: Calculate the amount of NaH 2PO4.12H2O that need to prepare 20mL
NaH2PO4 1.5M.
Add 20mL NaH2PO4 0.5M solution into a beaker.
To increase three times the concentration, we need more 0.02 mol of
NaH2PO4.12H2O (6.72g) because we need to prepare 0.03 mol of 1.5M.
-Step 2: Use the analytical balance to weigh out exactly 6.72g NaH 2PO4.12H2O.
Add 6.72g of NaH2PO4.12H2O into a beaker in step 1, stir it, and then we have
20mL NaH2PO4 1.5M.

QUESTION 4:

- Buffer solution is an aqueous solution that can resist significant changes

in pH levels upon the addition of small amount of acid or alkali. Each
buffer is characterized by a set ‘capacity’ which is defined as the
quantity of strong acid or base that must be added to change the pH of
one liter of solution by one pH unit. In other words, buffer capacity is
the amount of acid or base that can be added before the pH begins to
change significantly.
- Reacting mechanism of buffer solution: keeping the pH of the solution
unchanged when a small amount of strong acid or strong bases are
added to such solution.
- Four buffer solutions:
o Acetic acid – sodium acetate buffer: composed of acetic acid
(CH₃COOH) (weak acid) and sodium acetate (CH₃COONa) (a salt
derived from that acid).
o Ammonia – ammonium chloride buffer: composed of ammonia
(NH3) (weak base) and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) (a salt derived
from that base).
o Formic acid – sodium formate buffer: composed of formic acid
(HCOOH) (weak acid) and sodium formate (HCOONa) (a salt
derived from that acid).

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o Nitrous acid – sodium nitrite buffer: composed of nitrous acid

(HNO2) (weak acid) and sodium nitrite (NaNO2) (a salt derived
from that acid).

QUESTION 5:
The application of PBS solution in the field of BME:
- PBS solution is an isotonic solution and is not cytotoxic. It can be used to
dilute the substrate and to wash the cell containers.
- PBS can be used as a diluent in a method for drying biomolecules, as the
water molecules in it will be structured around a substrate (protein) to
be dried and immobilized on a substrate solid surface. Thin aqueous film
that binds to the substrate preventing denaturation or other
conformational changes.
- PBS can be used to obtain a reference spectrum when using protein
absorbance measurement in thin film thickness measurement.

QUESTION 6:
a) F. There are many phosphate ions in the solution
b) D. It resembles the ionic content and ionic concentration of normal body fluid.

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IV. CONCLUSION

By the end of the class, we

learned how to use the lab safety and during the experiment.
1. We knew basic information about the biology laboratory and also the
rules and regulations of the lab.
(E.g., Must wear a lab coat, glove, wear safety goggles, and closed footwear
at all times during doing lab works).
2. We were able to distinguish the types of glass wares, machines, also how
to use them and their functions.
(E.g. -Toxic chemicals must be brought into the fume cupboard
before using them, because if you do not use the fume
cupboard for hazardous chemicals, there is a very high risk
that the experimenter and others will be poisoned, possibly
causing death.
- Micropipettes are used to measure and transfer
small amounts of liquids (units is microliter (µl)).

3. We were able to recognize the meaning of hazard symbols in the

biological laboratory.
(E.g. - The name of this symbol is an “environmental hazard”, and we
have understood indicates substances that are toxic to aquatic
organisms, or many causes long-lasting environmental effects. They
should be disposed of responsibly.
- The meaning: after completing the experiment, we must treat the
experimental waste according to regulations, put it in a dedicated trash bin,
instead of dumping it down the drain, discharging it directly into the
environment.)

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BIOLOGY FOR BME – LABORATORY

REPORT OF GROUP 4
THE END

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