CHAMPLAIN - ST.

LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

I. LABORATORY SAFETY
The laboratory safety regulations are given below and must be followed at all times. Most of these are
simply common sense. Failure to comply with these regulations will result in expulsion from the lab
WITH NO FURTHER NOTICE. The best advice for working safely and developing safe working habits
in the laboratory is to PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING AT ALL TIMES no matter how
trivial you believe a task might be. If you are unsure about something, ASK.
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Safety glasses must be worn AT ALL TIMES while in the laboratory.

Lab coats must be worn at all times.
Shoes must be worn at all times. Sandals and open-toed shoes are not permitted.
Students with long hair must tie them back and place them inside the back of the lab coat.
Eating and drinking in the lab are strictly prohibited.
Be aware of the location of the safety equipment.
Keep circulation areas clear.
If chemicals come into contact with your skin and/or eyes, wash immediately with a copious
amount of water and then consult your instructor.
NEVER taste anything.
NEVER smell anything directly. There exists a technique for indirectly smelling a sample. Your
instructor will teach you how to do so.
All reactions must be performed under the fume hood.
NEVER leave an experiment unattended, even if you are only heating water.
NEVER sit down at your station. If anything happens you and/or others may need to distance
yourself from the fume hood quickly.
NEVER point a test tube at yourself or anyone. The contents may erupt violently.
Do not perform any unauthorized experiments. If you are curious about what would happen if ... ,
ask your instructor.
Clean up broken glassware immediately. Place the broken glass in the special container provided.
Ask your instructor for a replacement.
NEVER POUR WATER INTO ACIDS, the heat of the reaction may cause the water to boil and
splatter. Pour acids into water.
DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES unless you are sure your hands are clean.
Never force glass tubing or thermometers into rubber stoppers. Always lubricate the glassware
and the stopper with glycerine or water. Wrap the glass tubing in a towel and gently slide it into
the stopper using short, gentle action. As you do so, keep your hands close to each other to reduce
leverage.
IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, NOTIFY YOUR INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY.
DO NOT PLACE REAGENTS NEAR AN OPEN FLAME. Some reagents are highly flammable.
Be aware of and follow all precautions mentioned in each experiment.
Always wash your hands with soap and water after an experiment.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

II. COMMON LABORATORY APPARATUS

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

III. PRECISION OF THE INSTRUMENTS: UNCERTAINTY

Every instrument has limitations in the precision of the quantities it is designed to measure. In some
cases, careful examination of the subdivisions on the device will indicate the maximum precision of a
measurement that can be expected using that particular tool. The uncertainty of some of the equipment
you will use in this course is given in the following tables.
VOLUMETRIC PIPETTES
1.000 mL
2.000 mL
3.00 mL
5.00 mL
10.00 mL
15.00 mL
20.00 mL
25.00 mL
50.00 mL
100.00 mL

0.006 mL
0.006 mL
0.01 mL
0.01 mL
0.02 mL
0.03 mL
0.03 mL
0.03 mL
0.05 mL
0.08 mL

TOP-LOADING BALANCES
160.000 g balance
120.00 g balance
1200.0 g balance

0.001 g
0.01g
0.1g

THERMOMETER
0.5C

BURETS
25.0 mL
50.0 mL

0.1 mL
0.1 mL

VOLUMETRIC FLASKS
50.00 mL
100.0 mL
250.0 mL
500.0 mL
1000.0 mL
2000 mL

0.06 mL
0.2 mL
0.3 mL
0.4 mL
0.6 mL
1 mL

GRADUATED CYLINDERS
10.0 mL
25.0 mL
50.0 mL
100.0 mL
250.0 mL
500.0 mL
1000 mL
2000 mL

0.1 mL
0.3 mL
0.4 mL
0.6 mL
1.4 mL
2.6 mL
5 mL
10 mL

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

IV. GENERAL LABORATORY PROCEDURES

1. Read and study the laboratory handouts before coming to the laboratory.
2. The introduction and procedure sections of the lab report should be written before coming to the
laboratory.
3. The data section, tables and, if possible, graphs should be ready to be filled in before coming to
the laboratory.
4. Record your results directly into your prepared data section and/or tables. Do not recopy from
other pieces of paper.
5. Excess non-organic liquids, solutions and solids must NOT be poured down the sink UNLESS
you are told to do so. They must be disposed of in the containers provided. If you are not sure,
ASK.
6. NEVER RETURN REAGENTS TO THE REAGENT BOTTLE.
7. Open only ONE reagent bottle AT A TIME.
8. Replace stoppers on the SAME bottles, never on different ones.
9. Leave reagent bottles where you find them. Do NOT take them to your station.
10. Use only the amount of reagent required. If you are not sure, ASK.
11. Always WASH and DRY the glassware that will be used in the experiment.
12. Whenever instructed to use water, use distilled water from the plastic water bottles provided
unless instructed to do otherwise.
13. Keep your work station CLEAN and NEAT at all times.
14. Do not borrow apparatus from other stations. If you need equipment, ASK.
15. When weighing, NEVER place chemicals directly on the balance.
16. NEVER weigh hot or warm objects. They MUST be at room temperature.
17. After an experiment, wash and dry all the glassware that has been used and return them where
you found them.
V. LABORATORY TECHNIQUES
A. CLEANING GLASSWARE
In chemistry, we do dishes. Never assume that glassware in the cabinets is clean. The people using it
before you may have simply rinsed it quickly so that they could leave quickly, and it may still contain
traces of chemicals that were used in previous experiments. Hence, all glassware must be cleaned before
use.
To clean glassware:

Wash it with detergent solution and tap water using a brush if needed.
Rinse well with tap water.
Using a wash bottle, squirt a small amount of distilled water into the clean container and roll it
around to ensure that it comes in contact with the entire inside surface.
Discard.
Repeat last two steps.
If the glass is truly clean then water will not stick to the sides of the glass container.
Drain the clean, rinsed glassware upside down on a paper towel. Do not wipe with a towel or
blow dry with air. This may contaminate the glassware.

After using the glassware, clean it and return it where you found it.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

B. WEIGHING
Objects that weigh up to 160 g, or 210 g on the newest balance, may be weighed on balances in the
weighing room.

The balances are activated by gently pushing on the bar in the front. Wait a few seconds.
Gently place the object to be weighed on the balance.
Record the weight to the nearest 0.001 g.

To weigh substances which are going to be used in chemical experiments:

Place the container (weighing boat, test tube, beaker, watch glass...) which will be used on the
balance.
Gently push on the bar in the front. Wait a few seconds. The balance should give a reading of
0.000 g.
Place the chemical substance to be used in the container. The balance will give the weight of the
chemical only.

In some cases you will need the mass of the container as well. This is true if the container (test tube,
beaker) is going to be heated. In this case:

Place the container (weighing boat, test tube, beaker, watch glass...) which will be used on the
balance. Record its weight.
Place the chemical substance to be used in the container. Record the weight.
The weight of the chemical substance is calculated as the difference between the two previous
measurements.
NEVER WEIGH HOT OR WARM CONTAINERS. Wait until they have cooled to room
temperature.

If any chemicals are spilled on the balances or in the area of the balance, clean it up immediately. If the
spill is large or if the balance does not seem to work, consult the instructor or the technician.
C. TRANSFERRING SOLIDS

Small amounts of solids should be removed from the dispenser bottle with a CLEAN spatula.
If the amount is large or if the opening of the container into which it is going has a small opening,
use a powder funnel to avoid loss and spills.
Re-cap the dispenser bottle.
Clean up any spill or mess.
Do not take more than you need.
Never return any unused excess to the dispenser bottle. Ask the instructor or the technician for
instructions on how to discard it.
Never use one spatula to transfer solids from more than one bottle. Each dispenser bottle should
have its own spatula. If it does not, then use your spatula but make sure that it is CLEAN and
DRY before you use it EVERY TIME.

D. TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS

Transfer small amounts of liquid with a Pasteur pipette.

Pour larger amounts into a container carefully. To avoid splashing when pouring into a beaker,
place a clean, glass stirring rod into the beaker and pour liquid onto the glass rod slowly.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

Do not take more than you need.

Never return any unused excess to the dispenser bottle. Ask the instructor or the technician for
instructions on how to discard it.
Never use one Pasteur pipette to transfer liquids from more than one bottle. Each dispenser bottle
should have its own pipette. If it does not, then use a different pipette for each liquid.

E. HEATING LIQUIDS
Before lighting the burner (see section V-G),

Make sure the test tube to be heated is no more than 1/3 full.
The test tube should be fastened to a clamp or held with a wire test tube holder.

After lighting the burner,

The test tube should be heated using the cool part of the flame. This is the outer, blue part of the
flame.
The test tube should be held at a 45o angle and the opening of the test tube should be pointing into
the fume hood away from you, your partner or anyone else.
As you heat it, keep the test tube moving, in a circle, up and down, in and out of the flame. Do
not allow the flame to heat the same part of the test tube all the time.
Do not allow the liquid to boil out of the test tube.

To heat large amounts of liquid:

The liquid should be in an Erlenmeyer flask or a beaker of appropriate size.

Never heat the glassware directly.
Clamp the iron ring to a stand.
Adjust the height of the ring so that it sits 3-5 cm (1.5-2 inches) above the burner.
Place the wire gauze on top of the ring.
Place the container on the wire gauze.
Light the burner (see section V-G)

NEVER LEAVE A SUBSTANCE BEING HEATED UNATTENDED OR TURN YOUR BACK

ON IT. SOMEONE MUST BE WATCHING IT ALL THE TIME.
F. MEASURING VOLUME
To properly measure the volume of a liquid, two questions must be answered:
1. How accurately do you need to know the volume?
2. How large is the sample to be measured?
The answers to these questions will determine the technique and/or the equipment to be used to measure
the volume.
1. The volume markings on beakers and flasks are the least accurate. They should only be used if
the instructions call for a volume of about 100 mL of water or some such volume. Inaccuracies
of 20-30 mL are to be expected.
2. Graduated cylinders come in many sizes and are accurate to half their smallest divisions.
3. Pipettes come in three main types: Pasteur, graduated and volumetric.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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CHAMPLAIN - ST. LAWRENCE

CHEMISTRY 202-NYA-05
GENERAL CHEMISTRY

Pasteur pipettes are useful for transferring drops.

Graduated pipettes can measure a variety of specific volumes very accurately.
Volumetric pipettes are more accurate still but come in a limited number of sizes.
4. Burettes are used specifically for titration and are also very accurate.
Select the appropriate equipment and size depending on the instructions and the answers to the above two
questions. Use it properly.

When using graduated cylinders, pipettes and/or burettes, always read the volume by using the
bottom of the meniscus.
ALWAYS use pumps or suction bulbs to draw liquids using pipettes. NEVER PIPETTE BY
MOUTH.

G. LIGHTING A BUNSEN BURNER

Before lighting the burner, ALWAYS:

Remove any flammable liquids from the area to a safe place.

Check to make sure that the gas is on in the lab. The big bulb with the word GAS should be
blinking.
Check to make sure that the gas is off in your fume hood. The handle should be in the vertical
position.
Attach the rubber hose of your burner to the output jet.
Close the air valve on your burner completely or most of the way.
With the spark striker in your hand, turn the gas on in your fume hood. The handle should be in
the horizontal position.
Strike a spark on top of the burner.
Adjust the flame so that it is composed of two blue cones.

NEVER LEAVE A LIT FLAME UNATTENDED EVEN IF NOTHING IS BEING HEATED.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LABORATORY WORK

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