12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Website
Search this site

Home

Home Home >

CHEM 164/261
CHEM 263
Laboratory Rules and Safety
CHEM 361
CHEM 363 Chemistry wet laboratories contain certain inherent dangers
Contact Us and hazards. As a chemistry student working in a laboratory,
Interactive you must learn how to work safely with these hazards in order
Tutorials to prevent injury to yourself and others around you. You must
Laboratory Rules
and Safety
make a constant effort to think about the potential hazards
Laboratory associated with what you are doing, and to think about how to
Technique work safely to prevent or minimize these hazards as much as
Videos
Writing A Good
possible. The following guidelines are here to help you. Please
Lab Report understand and follow these guidelines and act according to
Sitemap 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
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 1/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

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.

Anyone who fails to be governed by the Safety Regulations is

subject to disciplinary action and possible removal from the
laboratory and course.

Safety Rules

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. You must wear a lab coat (and do it up) in all Chemistry
labs. 
4. Footwear must completely cover the foot and heel (no
sandals, baby dolls, ballet flats, mules, open-toed
footwear, etc.). 
5. You must wear long pants (no shorts, capris, skirts, or
dresses). 
6. 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. 
7. Loose hair must be tied back so as to be out of the way.
Dangling jewellery must be removed. 
8. Do not eat or drink in the lab. 
9. Visitors are not allowed to be in the lab. 
10. Please keep your work area and the common work areas
tidy. Also, please make sure the aisles, safety showers,
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 2/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

eyewash stations and doorways are unobstructed. 

11. Please leave all glassware, equipment, tools, etc. as clean
or cleaner than you found them. 
12. 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. 
13. 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. 
14. Wash your hands before you leave the lab. 
15. Do not remove chemicals or equipment from the lab
except when required to do so for analysis. 
16. Please notify your TA of any serious medical conditions. 
17. Do not wear earbuds or earphones while in the lab.

Chemical Safety 

1. 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. 
2. 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. 
3. Do not pipet with your mouth. 
4. Be extremely careful when transferring, distilling or
refluxing volatile liquids. 
5. Do not return used chemicals back to the stock
container. 
6. Do not tap flasks under vacuum. 
7. Do not heat, measure or mix any chemicals in front of
your face. 
8. Never heat a closed system – it will act as a bomb! 

https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 3/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

9. Never pour water into concentrated acid. Pour acid slowly

into water, stirring constantly. Mixing acid with water is
often exothermic. 
10. Concentrated acids and bases are stored in the fume
hood. Do not carry them to your bench. 
11. 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. 

WHMIS
Workplace Hazardous Material Information System, or WHMIS,
is the name given to the legislation covering hazardous
materials used in Canadian workplaces, including educational
institutions. In basic terms, suppliers are required to
adequately label their products and provide accompanying
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), employers are required to
educate workers and ensure that the appropriate safety
information is available to the employees, and employees are
required to learn the information on hazardous products
before using them. In Chemistry laboratories, you are the
employee, and therefore, are required to know the properties
of the chemicals you will be handling before you enter the
laboratory. 

Apart from requiring that MSDS be available to workers, one

of the other important aspects of WHMIS is the requirement
for clear labels and hazard symbols on hazardous products.
The following eight hazard symbols should be used as guides
for the handling of chemical reagents:

https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 4/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 5/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

Emergency Procedures

Become familiar with the location of the safety showers,

eyewash stations, first aid kits and fire extinguishers.
Remember, every sink with a hose can act as an eyewash
station. 
Know the route you are supposed to take in case of an
evacuation. 
If your clothes catch on fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL. 
In a potentially life threatening emergency situation,
notify your TA and call 911. 
For non-life threatening security emergency situations,
notify your TA and call Campus Security at 2-5050. 

First Aid

Burns 
Burns represent the most common injury in the
chemistry lab. They are generally of either the
thermal or chemical type. First aid for surface burns
of the thermal type involves immersing the burned
part in cool water or applying an ice pack to relieve
pain and prevent swelling and blistering. The burn
is then covered with a clean, sterile, lint-free
dressing. Do not apply lotions, ointments or oily
dressings. For more serious burns involving deeper
layers of skin and tissue, arrange for immediate
medical aid. 
To minimize injury due to chemical burns, the
chemical must be removed from the skin
immediately. Flush liquid chemicals away with
water; continue to flush for 20 minutes. Continue
first aid as for a thermal burn (preceding
paragraph). Medical attention should always be
sought in the case of chemical burns, especially as
delayed reactions are not uncommon. 

https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 6/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

Chemicals Spilled on the Skin Over a Large Area

Quickly remove all contaminated clothing while
using the safety shower to flush the chemical from
the skin. Time is of the essence here and there is no
place for modesty. Continue to flush the affected
area with water for at least 20 minutes. Do not use
chemical neutralizers. Treat any chemical burns as
outlined in the Burns section above. 

Chemicals Spilled on the Skin Over a Limited

Area 
Immediately flush the affected area with cold water.
Once again, time is of the essence. Do not use
chemical neutralizers. Treat any chemical burns as
outlined in the Burns section above. 

Chemicals Splashed into the Eyes 

Immediately flood the eyes with water so as to
dilute and eliminate the chemical. Hold the eyelids
open to facilitate the process. Flush the eyes for at
least 20 minutes. Apply clean dressings over both
eyes and arrange for immediate medical aid,
regardless of the severity of the injury. 

Accidental Ingestion of Chemicals 

Contact the Poison Control Centre at 1-800-332-
1414. Relay the following information: identity of
the poison, the quantity taken, the route of entry
into the body and the time elapsed since the
ingestion. Follow the instructions given for
treatment. 

Medical Aid 
Medical aid is available from Student Health
Services, 2nd floor, SUB. If medical aid is required,
do not try to go by yourself. The TA in charge of the
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 7/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

lab will make arrangements to have someone

accompany you. 

Rules Specific For The Organic Chemistry

Laboratories.

Be careful when packing melting point tubes or using

Pasteur pipettes - glass capillaries and pipettes are very
fragile and can result in cuts to the hand. 
Broken glassware should be CLEANED and then disposed
of in the yellow ‘Broken Glass’ containers. 
Do NOT force glass tubing through corks or stoppers.
Use lubricant if necessary. 
Hot glassware burns! (Hot glassware looks the same as
cold glassware!) 
Chemical reagents should always be stored in labeled
bottles. Read the label carefully before using the reagent.
Do not take more than the required amount of chemical
and do NOT return any unused chemical back to the
reagent bottle. 
Solid waste should be disposed of in the ‘Solid Waste’
container in the fumehood. 
Organic liquid waste should be disposed of in the
‘Organic Liquid’ waste container located in the
fumehood. 
Chemically contaminated paper (e.g. filter paper, weigh
paper) should be disposed of in the contaminated paper
waste container (located in the fumehood). 
Paper waste is discarded in the waste paper basket found
under the central sink. 
Silica gel and TLC plates should be disposed of in the
silica waste container (in the fumehood).
Mercury spills from broken thermometers must be
cleaned up immediately. Notify your TA and obtain a
mercury clean up kit from the chemistry store room (W1-
32). 
Dilute aqueous inorganic solutions, acids, and bases can
be disposed of down the drain with large volumes of
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 8/9
12/18/2017 Laboratory Rules and Safety - Organic Chemistry Laboratory Website

water. 
Do NOT pour any organic liquids (including acetone!)
down the drain. If you are not sure, please ask your TA. 
At the end of the lab, ensure that your gallenkamp and
digital thermometer are turned OFF.

Created and Maintained By: Hayley Wan

Sign in | Recent Site Activity | Report Abuse | Print Page | Powered By Google Sites

https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/organic-chemistry-laboratory-website/home/laboratory-rules-and-safety 9/9