John Aiven C.

Eyaya
BSABE 1-1

EXPERIMENT 1

LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND OPERATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The laboratory is an integral part in any Chemistry class since Chemistry

depends on careful observations, orderly operations and use of proper techniques.
Laboratory regulations have been designed as a guide in developing efficient
laboratory techniques. Strict observance of the rules will ensure that all the work
done in the laboratory will be safe. Thus, basic laboratory techniques and
operations must be mastered by students taking up Chemistry.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the experiment, the students will be able to:

1. To learn the basic techniques in handling solids and liquids

2. To manipulate simple instruments/apparatus

3. To perform common laboratory operations

MATERIALS/APPARATUS
Bunsen burner distilled water erlenmeyer flask
test tube holder cork, lighter triple beam balance
glazed tile filter paper watch glass
glass tube test tube beaker
triangular file cork borer silver nitrate
flat bottom flask graduated cylinder sodium chloride

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PROCEDURE

I. Basic laboratory techniques

A. Bunsen burner
1. We require a Bunsen burner and a spark lighter.
2. Take a spark lighter.
3. Turn the gas on and light the burner. A non - luminous flame is produced.
4. On closing the air hole of the burner by rotating the air adjusting disc, a
luminous flame is produced.
5. On opening the air hole of the burner, a non - luminous flame is
produced.

B. Bending a glass tube

1. We require, Bunsen burner, glass tube and glazed tile.
2. Take a glass tube. Hold the glass tubing between the thumb and fingers.
3. Introduce it lengthwise into the non-luminous flame of the burner. Keep
the tube rotating till it softens.
4. Apply gentle pressure so that it bends by itself. Remove the tubing from
the flame.
5. Place the bent limb on the glazed tile and press it gently so as to make it
coplanar.
6. Allow the tubing to cool.

C. Cutting a glass tube

1. Take a glass tube.
2. Place it on the table. Hold it firmly and make a single deep scratch with a
triangular file.
3. Place the thumbs on each side of the scratch at equal distances from it
and with a pressure give a quick bending motion until it breaks smoothly.
Thus we got two tubes from a single tube.

D. Drawing a glass jet

1. We require, Bunsen burner, a glass tube of required length and a
triangular file.

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 2. Take a glass tube of required length. Hold it with both hands then place it
lengthwise in flame. Keep rotating the tube till it softens.
3. Take the tubing out of the flame and gently pull the two ends in the
opposite directions. The middle portion is drawn out to a thickness of
about 2mm.
4. Allow the tubing to cool. Hold it firmly and make a single deep scratch on
the narrow portion with a triangular file.
5. Place the thumbs on each side of the scratch at equal distances from it
and with a gentle pressure gives a quick bending motion until it breaks
smoothly.
6. Finally round the ends of the jets by heating in the flame for a short time.
Thus, we got two glass jets from a delivery tube.

E. Wash bottle
1. Fill a flat bottom flask of 500ml with distilled water. An appropriate cork
with two bores is fitted into it.
2. One tube which bends at an angle of 60 degree is passed through one of
the bore in the cork. Then pass another tube which bends at an angle of
120 degree through another bore in the cork.
3. On blowing out air through the tube which bends at an angle of 120
degree, a stream of water comes out from the other tube.
4. On tilting the flask and blowing out air through the tube which bends at
an angle of 60 degree, a little larger amount of water comes out from the
other tube.

F. Softening of the cork

1. Take a cork and dip it in water until it becomes flexible.
2. Take the cork from water. Wrap the cork in a filter paper.
3. Place the wetted cork in a cork - presser and press it to soften it. Thus,
cork is softened.

G. Boring of the cork

1. Place the cork on the table with its narrow end upward.
2. Mark the position of the hole on both the sides of the cork with a pencil.
3. Take a borer and place it on the mark on the cork.
4. Apply force downwards on the borer and twist it at the same time. The
cork is bored from one end to the other.

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 H. Fitting a glass tube in the bore
1. Dip the bored cork in water.
2. Take a glass tube and wet the end of the tube with water.
3. Insert the tube into the bore by rotating it.
II. Common Laboratory Operations

Listen and view the video carefully and describe the following common
laboratory operations based on what you heard and saw from the video. Write
your answers to the following in the activity sheet.

A. Measuring the volumes of liquids using a graduated cylinder

Describe how a graduated cylinder is used in measuring the volume of a
liquid.

a. In a test tube

• First, determine the maximum volume of liquid you can pour onto the test tube.
After that , using a funnel, the scientist transfer it to a graduated cylinder. Finally,
she look at the mark where the water's upper meniscus reaches; that is the
volume of water.

b. In an erlenmeyer flask

• Determine the maximum volume of liquid that you can our pour onto the
Erlenmeyer flask. Then, place it in a graduated cylinder. If there is still water in an
Erlenmeyer flask, it should be transferred to a beaker. Then, into a graduating
cylinder, measure the remaining water in the Erlenmeyer flask. Finally, pour in the
amount of water measured in a graduated cylinder. They're 25ml, 25ml, and 23
ml in total, for a total of 73 ml in the video.

B. Measuring the mass using a triple beam balance

Describe how the triple beam balance is used to measure the mass of a
solid substance.

• Measuring Mass with a Triple-Beam Balance, A triple-beam balance has a pan and
three beams with sliding masses called riders. At one end of the beams is a pointer
that indicates whether the mass on the pan is equal to the masses shown on the

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 beam. There should be no dust in the pan. Salt should not be pointed directly at
the pan due to corrosion; instead, use a watch glass to measure it. To determine
the weight of the watch glass, first adjust the sliders to aim the pointer into the
zero mark. Place the substance or salt in a watch glass after that. Finally, subtract
the weight of the watch glass by the weight of the salt to get the exact weight of
the salt.

C. Transferring of liquids from one container to the other

a. Transfer a liquid from a beaker to an Erlenmeyer flask

• Instead of a funnel, the scientist utilizes or used a steering rod. The Erlenmeyer flask has
a small mouth, while the beaker has a lip. The tip of the steering rod will rest against the
side of the Erlenmeyer flask without touching the mouth to transfer the liquid. Then,
using the steering rod, slowly pour the liquid into the Erlenmeyer flask.

b. Transfer a liquid from an Erlenmeyer flask to a beaker

• I think that it would be simple to transfer liquid from an Erlenmeyer flask to a beaker.
Because the beaker has a large mouth, it should pour directly into it. And it is just like
pouring water from 1 bottle to a glass.

D. Heating liquids inside a test tube

• To avoid the spreading part of a liquid when heating a liquid in a test tube, hit the
upper part of the liquid first rather than the bottom section. Set the test tube at a
45-degree angle. Then hit the upper section of the liquid, making sure it doesn't
hit the test tube's empty part, and then hit the lower part. Bring it back and forth
over the flame once it begins to simmer. So that the flame will evenly spread
trough out the test tube.

E. Precipitation: Reacting silver nitrate with sodium chloride

• precipitation is the process of transforming a dissolved substance into an insoluble

solid from a super-saturated solution. The solid formed is called the precipitate.
The scientist placed the sodium chloride in the test tube first, then she poured
the silver nitrate. It formed a white solid when the two chemicals were combined,

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 and that white solid is known as a precipitate. When you are combining sodium
chloride and silver nitrate you can form silver chloride.

F. Filtration

a. Folding the filter paper

• The scientist fold the filter paper horizontally then she fold it again diagonally.
Then she open it, and form a cone. Then she cut a piece of the side of the cone
that has 3 layers because it is done to prevent the filter paper from protruding out
the funnel.

b. Describe the process of filtration

• Filtration, the process in which solid particles in a liquid or gaseous fluid are removed by
the use of a filter medium that permits the fluid to pass through but retains the solid
particles. The scientist poured the mixed chemicals in the filter paper inside the funnel.
She used a stirring rod so that the liquid will be poured carefully onto the funnel. And by
that she separated the liquid and the solid using filtration process.

G. Decantation

• Decantation is the process of separation of liquid from solid by carefully pouring the
supernatant. The supernatant is a liquid that is being pulled off when we’re going to
separate a solid from a liquid by pouring the mixture slowly.

Experiment Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22ZB0ZwvOsQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRnql12WLwk

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Name: _John Aiven C. Eyaya Date Performed:__March 05, 2022
Course: ___BSABE 1-1 Date Submitted:__March 05, 2022

EXPERIMENT 1

LABORATORY TECHNIQUES AND OPERATIONS

QUESTIONS

1. What is the use of the glass rod in transferring liquid reagents?

• Glass rods are used when pouring liquids in order to avoid spills. When a glass
rod is placed against the beaker's pouring edge, the liquid within flows down the
rod and into the receiving vessel rather than splashing over the lip.

2. When heating in a test tube, why is the test tube moved back and forth
across the flame?

• So that the heat that comes from the Bunsen burner will evenly spread through
out the test tube. Another reason behind is that it helps the process of glass
manipulation easier and faster. Lastly it is moved back and forth because the heat
might melt the glass and rotating or moving it back and forth prevents it from
happening.

3. Why should the spatula used for spooning solid chemicals from a reagent
bottle be clean and dry?

• If it's not clean and dry, you will contaminate the reagent. I was always taught
never to even put anything into a reagent bottle. Solid chemicals should be shaken
out a little at a time into a weighing boat. Never pour the excess back into the
bottle. A contaminated reagent bottle can give errors to the others that use it,
sometimes for years down the road if it's not a commonly used chemical.

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4. Compare filtration with decantation. Which is more effective in separating
solids from liquids? Explain your answer.

• Filtration is far more effective in separating solid from liquid mixture compared
to decantation. In decantation, you allow the solid mixture to stay in the bottom
of the glass of water of liquid so that you can pour the water separating from the
solid mixture. Not all solid material will stay in the bottom, there will be some solid
material that will be pour together with water. Filtration uses filter
paper or filtering material which will not allow the solid mixture to pass through
it. Making 99 % of the water or liquid mixture separated from the solid mixture.

5. Explain the use of evaporation in separating soluble solids from liquids.

• Evaporation is used to separate a soluble solid from the liquid. Because when a
soluble liquid and solid mixed together, evaporation helps the liquid to become
gas, thus leaving the soluble solid behind. The best example of this is when a
mud(a mixture of solid soil and water) undergo evaporation it helps the soil to dry
thus separating the water from the soil.

6. Illustrate/Draw the different laboratory techniques and glass

manipulations viewed from the video.

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