Acid Safety

There are a few rules that everyone must follow when handling acids:
 1. Always check the reagent bottle which contained the acid, or ask your teacher about the
dangers of the acid.
 2. Always have on safety goggles whenever acids are present. It is also a good idea to wear
an apron too.
 3. When mixing acid and water, always pour the acid into the water.
 4. Never allow the acid to come into contact with your skin unless your teacher says has told
you that it is okay.
 5. Always clean up any spilled acid as soon as possible.
 6. Never disturb an unmarked substance because it may be an acid.
7. If an acid comes in contact with your skin wash it with soap, because the soap will
neutralize the acid.
Fire Safety
1.Keep all combustible materials away from open flames unless specifically
instructed to place them in the flame.
 2. Keep head, hair, and all loose clothing away from an open flame.
 3. Never leave unattended anything that is being heated or reacting.
 4. Always turn off burner when not in use.
 5. When heating a substance in a test tube make sure that the mouth of the test
tube is not pointed at anyone.
 6. Always be aware of the location of fire extinguishers, eye baths, shower, and
fire retardant blanket.
 7. If you should smell a gas odor, close all gas jets, and try to vent the room. If
any flames are present near the smell, extinguish them until the odor dissipates.
Safe Handling of Compounds
 Basic Rules of Handling any Compound:
1. Use clean utensils when obtaining a sample of the compound.
2. Never replace or reuse the reagent once taken from its original container.
3. Always use caution when handling any substance.
4. Wash you hands after you use or come in contact with a reagent.
5. Read and follow any directions on the container labels.
6. When transferring your compound:
Liquid: - when pouring into a large container, pour it down a stirring rod.
- when pouring into a test tube, use a test tube rack or holder.
Solid: - when pouring into a large container, gently rotate the contents from the original
container to the desired location, until the amount is obtained.
- when pouring into a test tube, pour reagent onto a piece of creased paper, and then
transfer carefully.
 Things to Look For:
7. Any caution symbols or information labels.
8. If you have any questions ask someone who knows about the subject.
9. Foul odor or dangerous appearance of the compound
10. Any irritation caused by contact with the compound
 Rules For Handling the Unknown Compound:
1. Find out components of the compound.
2. Note any dangers associated with those compounds.
3. Avoid any contact with skin.
If compound comes into contact with your skin, notify teacher, and wash immediately
4. Don’t smell the compound unless told to do so by your teacher.
5. Never mix the compound with another compound unless told to do so by your teacher.
Preparation and Completion:
1. Have knowledge of your procedure.
2. Have most of your materials on hand.
3. Always wear goggles.
4. Wash you hands after the lab.

Using A Lab Bunsen Burner

The lab Bunsen burner is to be used when heating a substance in a beaker or crucible,
supported on a ringstand by means of a wire gauze or clay triangle.
1. Turn on main gas CAUTION: Make SURE all gas valves are closed, before turning on
the main gas.
2. Put safety goggles on
3. Connect rubber hose to the lab burner and gas valve, checking for holes or cracks in the
rubber
4. Hold sparker over the top of the burner, the the gas valve on and squeeze the handle until
the flame is lit
5. Place burner under beaker or crucible to be heated, making sure both the burner and ring
stand setup are secured
 Adjusting the Air Mixture Valve:
6. Estimate the temperature the substance must be heated at, according to the procedure
- to make the flame burn hotter and larger, open the air mixture valve accordingly
- to make the flame burn cooler and smaller, close the air mixture valve accordingly
After Use:
7. Remove burner from under the ringstand **NOTE: FOR SAFETY, DO NOT
REMOVE GOGGLES UNTIL THE FLAME IS OFF
7. Turn gas valve off
8. Remove rubber tube from gas nozzle
9 . Place burner back into laboratory facility properly
10. Proceed with the rest of the experiment

Cautions and Advice in Using a Hot Hiter Bath:

1) Make sure you have the beaker in the middle of the hot plate or the wire gauze, to make
sure it does not have a chance of falling. It also heats the water at a faster rate.
2) Do not add too much water, it could boil over the top of the beaker.
3) Make sure when you use a thermometer either hold it in or have it hanging from a clamp.
You do not want it touching the bottom of the beaker, it will not be an accurate measure.
4) Once you reach your destination of the temperature you want in the hot water bath, right
away turn off either the Bunsen Burner or the hot plate and get right to the next lab step.
You do not want the temperature going too high if you want it to be at an exact
measurement. It could cause a source of error.
5) When taking the hot water bath from the Bunsen Burner or the hot plate, first make sure
they are both turned off. You must also pick up the cylinder with a clamp so that you
won’t burn yourself or drop the hot water bath.
Notes:
Follow safety procedure when making a hot water bath. If followed, it is an easy task. The
hot water bath is used many times throughout the labs you do in chemistry. Labs that use
the hot water bath are labs when you have to heat a certain substance that you cannot heat
directly above the Bunsen Burner or hot plate and when you cannot get the substance wet.
It is important you do it the right way, and take caution of any danger.
Wafting

Wafting is a way of "smelling" a chemical in the laboratory. Because the fumes could be
hazardous wafting is a way of smelling the chemical while preventing accidents. It ensures
that you don't inhale "pure" vapors.
Instead of placing your face directly over the chemical, stand at an angle, about six inches
away from the chemical. Then while continuing to breathe normally, with numerous
swooping motions of the hand, bring the odor of the chemical toward your face. By using
this method of smelling chemicals you should reduce the risk of it burning your nose and
face.
Using the Laboratory Balance
Beam balances are the most standard, used in laboratory experiments to mass objects
1. Adjust all riders, so that each reads zero. Then check to make sure that the pointer, or
beam, swings to "zero" on the center mark. If the pointer does not read correctly, then use
the "adjustment screw" to obtain the zero reading.
2. Warning: do not place any chemicals onto the balance pan or platform. All chemicals,
solutions, or compounds should be placed into a beaker or other container first.
3. After you place the sample onto the pan or platform, move the largest rider across the
beam until the pointer drops. Then move this rider back once. Follow this same procedure
for the rest of the smaller riders, until the pointer swings to the zero mark.
4. To record the mass, add the masses shown by each rider. (Note: masses are in grams)
Accuracy, Precision and Uncertainty in Measurement
The accuracy of the measurement refers to how close the measured value is to the true or
accepted value.  For example, if you used a balance to find the mass of a known standard
100.00 g mass, and you got a reading of 78.55 g, your measurement would not be very
accurate.  One important distinction between accuracy and precision is that accuracy can be
determined by only one measurement, while precision can only be determined with multiple
measurements.
     Precision refers to how close together a group of measurements actually are to each
other.  Precision has nothing to do with the true or accepted value of a measurement, so it is
quite possible to be very precise and totally inaccurate.  In many cases, when precision is
high and accuracy is low, the fault can lie with the instrument.  If a balance or a thermometer
is not working correctly, they might consistently give inaccurate answers, resulting in high
precision and low accuracy.
There is no such thing as a perfect measurement. Each measurement contains a degree of
uncertainty due to the limits of instruments and the people using them. In laboratory
exercises, students are expected to follow the same procedure that scientists follow when
they make measurements. Each measurement should be reported with some digits that are
certain plus one digit with a value that has been estimated. For example, if a student is
reading the level of water in a graduated cylinder that has lines to mark each milliliter of
water, then he or she should report the volume of the water to the tenth place (ie. 18.5 ml.)
This would show that the 18 mls are certain and the student estimated the final digit because
the water level was about half way between the 18 and 19 mark.
Sources of Error:
DEFINITION: A source of error is a limitation of a procedure or an instrument that causes
an inaccuracy in the quantitative results of an experiment.  A human error is not considered a
source of error under this definition.  Students should strive to identify, understand, and limit
sources of error in their procedures whenever possible.
Rules For Significant Digits
1. Digits from 1-9 are always significant.
2. Zeros between two other significant digits are always significant
3. One or more additional zeros to the right of both the decimal place and another
significant digit are significant.
4. Zeros used solely for spacing the decimal point (placeholders) are not significant.