CHAPTER 4:

Material Handling and Scientific

Apparatus
 Living specimens handling techniques

Why Use Biological Specimens?

If you're really lucky, you'll get to work with biological specimens, which are any
biological tissues, fluids, or organisms.

It's important for those of us working in the lab to handle specimens properly to avoid
contamination and other health hazards.

Depending on what you're working with, you should at least wear gloves to protect
your hands. Many of the specimens that are used in biology labs are preserved with
formaldehyde, which is great for preservation, but can be dangerous if you get it on
your skin, in your eyes, or breathe in the fumes.
The accuracy of the results depends on care in collecting and transporting
the specimen to the lab. The quality of the results influences the diagnosis
and treatment and therefore the clinical outcome.

The risk of the health care worker being exposed to an infectious agent
or contaminating the health care environment depends on maintaining
continuous infection control practices.

Soft-bodied animals or unique specimens should be sorted directly into

individual specimen jars
When labeling specimens during field collection, be aware that some live
animals will eat or otherwise destroy paper labels.

Labeling is an important step in collecting any specimen. Labels should include

the collectors name, date, exact location, habitat type (e.g., wooden pier piling,
floating dock, patch reef, etc.), and depth of collection. Detailed notes regarding
the living color of the animal are essential for the positive identification of many
invertebrate groups, as most animals lose all color upon preservation.
Photographing the living specimen before preservation is ideal. Labels should
be placed inside collection bags or bottles as soon as possible, preferably at
the time of collection.
 Specimen preservation techniques

There are two types of preservation :

1. Wet preservation

2. Dry preservation
 Wet preservation
Definition
 The process of keeping the specimen wet in a suitable
preservative solution.

Materials and tools for wet preservation

 Ethanol
 The best preservative but it is much more expensive
than formalin.
 Specimens that are small in size.
 Formalin
 The cost is cheaper.
 Specimens that are large in size.
 Glass bottle
 Must be colorless, tall, wide mouthed and have a
cap.
Advantages of using the wet preservation method
 Suitable for storing small animal specimens.
 Suitable for plant specimens to maintain the original
color of its parts.

Disadvantages of using the wet preservation method

 Preservatives have a certain shelf life.
 Requires a certain space to be stored.

Wet preservation type

There are two types of wet preservation, namely:

 Wet preservation for plant specimens
 Wet preservation for animal specimens
 Dry preservation
Definition
 The process of keeping the specimen dry without immersing in any
preservative.

Advantages of using the dry preservation method

 Always used to preserve plants but also suitable for preserving
the external parts of small animals.

 A collection of plant specimens that are dried, stored and

systematically classified is called a herbarium.

 Longer curing period and easy to maintain.

Disadvantages of using the dry preservation method
 Can't last long if continuous care measures are not given enough
attention.

 Each part of a plant is usually stored as a sample in dry

preservation, but the original color cannot be maintained.

 The storage place should be dry, dark, free from the presence of any
pests.
There are two types of dry preservation, namely:
 Dry preservation for plant specimens
 Dry preservation for animal specimens
 Dry preservation for plant specimens

 Collection
 Specimen cuttings taken should be fresh and healthy.

 Press on
 Stacked horizontally between old newspapers.
 Place plywood on the top and bottom of the stack of
specimens.

 Drying
 Dry in the oven at a temperature of 45 – 60 degree celcius for
3 - 6 days.
 Dry in normal air (the newsprint must be changed every day
and the weight of the weights constantly added for about 2
weeks).
 Wrapping paper should be sprayed with 40% formalin solution.
 Labeling

 The label is usually placed in one corner of the herbarium.

 Number each specimen and keep a copy for reference.
 Scientific/botanical name
 Local name/origin
 English name
 The location of the specimen can be found
 Name of person who found/collected
 Date
 The original color and shape of the flower
 Type whether shrub, herb, climbing or vegetable
 If it's a tree - the color of the trunk, the thickness of the skin
and so on
 Fruiting or flowering date
 The type of soil where the specimen grows
 Plant properties such as methods of pollination and seed
dispersal
Dry preservation for animal specimens
 After the specimen is unalive
 Large-sized specimens: remove easily damaged parts of the body
(such as the digestive system) and replace them with other dry
materials (coconut or cotton). The surgical site should be sewn well
and neatly so that the effects of the surgery can be minimized.
 Other soft parts that are difficult to remove or have thick tissue can
be preserved by injection using the following method:
 Specimen Preservation method

Birds and other small animals 3% formalin injection

Eye parts can be replaced with fake eyes

Insects Inject 3% formalin in the head, thorax and

abdomen.

This specimen is kept on a special board

so that the wings are not damaged.
 Dry small animal specimens preferably in an oven at a temperature
range between 50-70oC. For insects, leave it for two weeks until it
dries.

 Make sure the specimen is sufficiently dry before storing or

displaying. It is suggested that these specimens be stored in a
moisture-proof glass box because we can put additional preservatives
(eg naphthalene) to increase the durability of the specimen.
Chemical materials handling techniques
1. Protective Equipment

Correct PPE (personal protective

equipment) to use when handling
different chemicals. Required PPE may
include gloves, footwear, facemasks and
goggles. 

Safety equipment also needs to be

comfortable to prevent incidents from
occurring. For example, if touch
sensitivity is essential for a task, textured
and thin gloves are required to ensure
agile movement.
● 2. Handling Practices
Each chemical used within your organization should have a specific
procedure for safe handling. Ensure all employees are familiar with this. 

Essential aspects of safe handling practices are:

• Reading & re-reading each chemicalsafety data sheets (SDS) to minimize
the risk of mishandling.
• Wearing PPE.
• Disposing of hazardous chemicals appropriately.
• Being prepared for emergencies with first aid.
• Not working with or handling chemicals while alone.
• Using all precautions to avoid spillage, leakage or dropping chemicals
during transportation. Use specialized carriers and carts
3. The Globally Harmonised System of Classifying and Labelling
Chemicals (GHS)
● At the start of 2017 GHS labelling for primary and secondary
containers became mandatory in most Australian states. The
GHS provides a universal standard for the labelling of
hazardous goods, and includes information on chemical
hazards, as well as storage instructions, placards, and Safety
Data Sheets (SDS). 

● Manufacturers and suppliers should always have the correct

GHS labelling on hazardous goods, so it’s important to ensure
everyone understands how to read GHS labels, and is familiar
with the requirements for labelling. 
4. Storage of Dangerous Goods
● Some chemicals can pose serious health
hazards if they come into contact with,
or are stored with, one another. 
● For example, oxygen and acetylene
cylinders have to be stored in separate
gas bottle cages with a non-flammable
shield in between them to prevent a
reaction.
● Storage information can be found on
each chemical’s Safety Data Sheet.
5. Transportation of Dangerous Goods

Whether you’re transporting hazardous materials within a work site, or between worksites, it’s
essential that your team is familiar with the state or territory regulations.

Each state or territory has different regulations, including no-go transport zones where chemicals
can’t be transported, and specific transport documentation requirements. Be sure to contact your
local transport regulator to understand your state’s requirements - and relay this information to
your team

There are also key elements to be aware of when transporting dangerous goods, including the 
flash points of flammable liquids, the storage temperatures of goods, and the transportation of
goods on work sites. Incorporate these into your training so that your team knows what to keep in
mind when moving chemicals in and around the workplace.
6. Educate on Risk Management Policies and Practices

Having clear risk management policies and processes in place.

Your team should be trained on all procedures and policies, including:

Emergency plans if any unexpected accidents or reactions occur.

Information on where fire safety and first aid equipment is stored.

The correct way to decommission any chemical storage or handling systems.

Spill containment systems for hazardous chemicals.

How to assess risk surrounding dangerous goods.

Basic techniques of using the apparatus

● Refer to the 4.0 Common apparatus & proce

dures PDF
 WHAT COUNTRIES CELEBRATE IT?

MERCURY
Mercury is the closest
planet to the Sun

MARS
Despite being red,
Mars is a cold place

JUPITER
It’s the biggest planet
in the Solar System
• Physics equipment handling techniques

https://studiousguy.com/list-of-physics-laboratory-apparatus-and-their-uses/

https://www.labkafe.com/blog/physics-laboratory-equipment-a-complete-list-of-important-
equipment-and-their-uses
 Slide preparation techniques
1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2
v=YU0DYrU_0FM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-
LIbAWPc-g

3
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=sxa46xKfIOY
 Determining the purpose of the investigation, variables, patterns or
trends, observations, hypotheses, and conclusions during the practical
implementation of science lessons

The purposes of scientific investigations are to

generate knowledge and create explanations.

Scientific data can be used to make discoveries about natural

phenomena. When a phenomenon is observed, a scientific
hypothesis is developed to explain the observations. Scientific
data is collected and analyzed to find trends, patterns, and
relationships.

# A trend is a general change in one variable compared

to another over a period of time, such as a stock price
increasing over the year.

#A pattern describes when a variable changes in a

repeating or predictable way, such as the temperature over
several seasons.
 # A relationship describes how one variable changes in relation to another variable,
such as voltage increasing with current. A direct relationship is when one variable
increases with another. An indirect relationship is when one variable decreases as
another increases.

The most important thing about a hypothesis is that it is testable. Experimental data is
collected to support or refute scientific hypotheses. If the trends, patterns, and
relationships within the data do not support a hypothesis, it is necessary to create a
different hypothesis which can then be tested.
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In drawing conclusions (making inferences), you are really getting at
the ultimate meaning of things – what is important, why it is
important, how one event influences another, how one
happening leads to another

Inference may be defined as the process of drawing conclusions

based on evidence and reasoning.
Activity 1: A group of fifth grade students are carrying out a project
studying the effects of fertilizer use on tree growth. The height of the
tree and the amount of fertilizer used were recorded in table 1.

What inferences can you make?

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