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Lab Safety, Work, and measurement
Safety in the Chemistry Lab and Lab Safety Agreement
“PPE Lab Experiences Worth Sharing” from Flinn Scientific
“Why You Need to Wear Safety Glasses” (from Periodic Videos)
Runaway Hot Plates – it really happens!
A Visual Guide to Chemistry Glassware (from Compound Interest)
Chem 1B Lab Equipment Check Sheet
Critical and Analytical Thinking in Science: Data Analysis
Scientific Measurement and Significant Figures
Lab Experiments
Lab 1. It Stinks! Organic Chemistry: Smells and Odors from Esters
Reflux Equipment and Hot Plate Instructions for Ester Synthesis (Thanks Tony!)
Lab 2. Sweet Tooth. Solubility and Colligative Properties of Solutions: Candy, Soda, and Ice Cream
Lab 3. Turn Blue: Kinetics of The Iodine Clock Reaction
Lab 4. It’s About Control: Shifting the Direction of an Equilibrium Reaction Using LeChatelier’s Principle
Lab 5. Change is Difficult: Buffers as Food Preservatives and the Fruit Browning Reaction
Lab 6. Who Cut the Cheese? Acid-Base Properties of Food
More Cheese: “How to Make Mozzarella Cheese” (ACS Webinet)
Lab 7. How to Remove Bathroom and Kitchen Stains
Lab 8. You Can’t Win,You Can’t Break Even, You Can’t Quit
Ethanol Fuel Bottle (courtesy of T. Green):
Lab 9. Energizer Bunny: Batteries and Electroplating
Hydrolysis of Water by Maria S. and Julianna
Lab 10. Want to Live Near a Nuclear Power Plant? Half-Life of K-40 and Radiation Protection
Why Lab?
In science, observations are made to discover, learn, and understand what’s going on in nature. In a science course, hands-on activities are the best way to make observations and learn science. As such, the laboratory is a very important part of this course. Lectures and labs will be coordinated so you will be able to relate what you do in lab to what you do in lecture and vice versa. You will chemistry lab techniques and develop skills to collect data, analyze data to obtain results, and interpret results to draw conclusions. All laboratory assignments must be completed to pass Chem 1B. Guidelines for lab procedures and lab safety are described in the Chem 1B Lab web page.
Science is a collaborative endeavor. Employers value employees who know how to work as a team. In Chem 1B Lab, you will work in a group of 2 or 3. When you work in a larger group, assign a team leader, communicator, record keeper, and counselor for each lab and rotate roles for each lab. Each role is described in “Group and Collaborative Work“. Make sure each team member contributes equally to each lab activity. Expect to spend the entire lab period in lab.
Your Lab Grade consists of the following assignments:
Weekly Lab Assignment: Lab Activities are designed for you to apply and practice the objectives discussed in lecture to lab and to develop skills to collect data, analyze data to obtain results, and interpret results to draw conclusions. You will work with your lab partners on experiments but you must submit Lab Assignments individually due at the end of Thursday’s lab.
The Lab Safety Factor will be determined by your lab instructor at the end of the semester. It will be based on your attendance (including being on time), your timely submission of lab assignments, your observation of lab safety rules and regulations, Lab Patrol, your lab technique, and your initiative and cooperation (ability to do your own work and an equal share of group work, ability and willingness to work, collaborate, and cooperate with other students). If you arrive late; hand assignments in late; do not observe lab safety, e.g., don’t use eye protection, endanger the safety of your peers and instructor; have poor lab technique, or no one likes working with you, you will receive a low lab safety factor grade and a lower lab grade.
Lab Policies
1. Safety glasses or goggles are required in lab. For students who wear contact lenses, you will need to wear safety glasses/goggles over your contact lenses. Try to be aware of your safety as well as the safety of others in lab.
2. FAILURE TO CHECK-IN YOUR LOCKER, whether you drop the course or complete it, results in a $25 LAB FEE plus a charge for any broken or missing equipment.
3. ALL LABS MUST BE PERFORMED TO PASS THIS COURSE.
4. Late lab assignments will be penalized 5% per calendar day.
5. The chemistry lab has 14 computers.
a. You cannot store your lab data and results on the hard drive of a computer you are using. Please bring a flash/thumb drive to store lab files.
b. Each computer is connected to a network printer. You will need to supply your own printer paper.
c. These computers are connected to the internet so you can look up scientific information. Please do not download images, files, or software onto these computers.