SKU3073 Chemistry

Semester 1 2020/2021

EXPERIMENT 1

SAFETY MEASURES: USE AND PREPARATION OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE

1.1 OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this activity, students should be able to:

1. practice the laboratory safety rules and regulation when working in the laboratory

2. explain the function of safety equipment in the laboratory

3. explain the chemical signs/labels on chemical bottles/containers

1.2 INTRODUCTION

The chemistry laboratory can be a place of discovery and learning. However, the laboratory
could be a place of danger if proper precautions are not taken. While efforts have been made
not to use explosive, toxic, and carcinogenic substances from the experiments from which you
will perform, there are certain unavoidable hazards associated with the use of chemicals and
glassware. You are expected to learn and adhere to the following general safety guidelines to
ensure safe laboratory environment for you and other people. Additional safety precautions will
be announced in class prior to experiments where a potential danger exists.

1.2.1 Attire and Conduct

a) Safety goggles must be worn at all times while in the laboratory.

b) Contact lenses are not allowed. Even when worn under safety goggles, various fumes
may accumulate under the lens and cause serious injuries or blindness.

c) Covered shoes and long pants must be worn in the laboratory. Sandals, high heels,
sleeveless and shorts are not allowed.

d) Long hair and scarf must be properly manageable.

e) Eating, drinking, and smoking are strictly prohibited in the laboratory.

f) No unauthorized experiments are to be performed. If you are curious about trying a

procedure not covered in the experimental procedure, consult your laboratory instructor.

g) Never taste anything. Never directly smell the source of any vapour or gas; instead by
means of your cupped hand, waft a small sample to your nose. Do not inhale these
vapours but take in only enough to detect an odour if one exists.

h) Coats, backpacks, etc., should not be left on the laboratory benches and stools. Put your
personal belongings on the rack provided.
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i) Always wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.

j) Learn where the safety and first-aid equipment are located. Notify the instructor
immediately in case of an accident.

1.2.2 Proper Handling of Chemicals and Equipment

a) Consider all chemicals to be hazardous.

b) Know what chemicals you are using. Carefully read the label twice before taking anything
from a bottle. Chemicals in the laboratory are marked with labels. Learn how to interpret
these labels.

c) Never return excess reagents to the stock bottles. If you take too much, dispose of the
excess into the container provided.

d) Many common reagents, for example, alcohols and acetone, are highly flammable. Do
not use them anywhere near open flames.

e) Always pour acids into water. If you pour water into acid, the heat of reaction will cause
the water to explode into steam, sometimes violently, and the acid will splatter.

f) If chemicals came into contact with your skin or eyes, flush immediately with a lot of
water and consult your instructor.

g) Never point a test tube that you are heating at yourself or your neighbours.

h) Dispose the chemicals properly. Waste containers will be provided and their use will be
explained by your laboratory assistant. Unless you are explicitly told otherwise, assume
that only water may be poured into the sink.

i) Clean up all broken glassware immediately and dispose them properly.

j) Contact the stockroom for clean-up of mercury spills. Warning!! Do not ever touch the
spilled mercury with your bare hands.

k) Never leave burners unattended. Turn them off whenever you leave your workstation. Be
sure that the gas is shut off before you leave the laboratory.

l) Beware of hot glass; it looks exactly like cold glass.

1.2.3 Waste Disposal

Chemical wastes should be divided into aqueous solutions, solutions containing heavy metals,
water-insoluble waste, chlorinated solvents and peroxides. Further division into particular types
of compounds, e.g. cyanides, explosive materials or asbestos, may be necessary. Mutually
reactive wastes shall not be stored together. Materials for disposal that are likely to have formed
peroxides shall be assessed and handled appropriately before they leave the laboratory.
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Containers of chemical wastes shall be stored in a well-ventilated area convenient to transport.

A storage area for large volumes of collected waste should provide fume and fire protection; and
isolated. To help ensure that all chemical waste is properly treated, the following guidelines are
provided. If you have any questions about specific cases, ask your laboratory instructor.

Waste Containers: On the side shelves are special collection containers for the following
categories of chemical wastes. These chemicals should NEVER go down the sink.

i. Non-Halogenated Organics (NHO) – non-water-soluble organic liquids and solids.

ii. Halogenated Organics (HO) – all halogenated organic liquids and solids. This does
not include inorganic such as sodium chloride (NaCl), etc.

iii. Hazardous Metals (HM) – Hg, Cr, Ce, Mn, Zn and etc. in any form.

The Non-Halogenated Organics and Halogenated Organics collection containers are five litre
bottles. Hazardous Metals containers are normally in a smaller glass bottle. Each container will
have a contents manifest form near the bottle in the laboratory notebook. Take your time to
properly enter the Chemical Name, Amount, Date and Your initials for the material that you
have placed in the container. Failure to make the entry correctly is just as bad as dumping it
down the drain and could have very costly consequences. You need only estimate the quantity,
but must define it as completely as possible. An example is shown below:

Waste Description Amount Date Initials

Cyclohexane ~ 5 mL 1/2/99 JGB
Ethanol filtrate of Cl-phenoxyacetic acid 15 mL 1/5/98 MC
Toluene distillation residue ~ 4 mL 1/7/99 TAH

Glass disposal must be made into special containers, not the trash bins!! Used Pasteur
pipets, syringe needles and all other broken glassware should be disposed of in the small bins
labelled “GLASS ONLY” located throughout the laboratory.
Recycling is the best way to handle waste materials. For a number of the experiments, you will
be directed to recycle your products in appropriate labelled containers. Please reuse the Pasteur
pipets as much as possible. A simple water and/or acetone rinse is necessary to clean them.

Small quantities of certain chemicals used or produced in the academic laboratory can be
disposed of by flushing them down the drain with water.

Down the Sink: Do’s and Don’ts

a) Inorganic acids (such as hydrochloric, nitric or sulphuric) and inorganic bases (such
as sodium or potassium hydroxide) do not contain hazardous metals. These should be
neutralized with sodium bicarbonate or hydrochloric acid and washed down the drain.
b) Acetone used to rinse glassware. Acetone containing more than a few percent of
organic residues should be placed in the appropriate organic disposal bottle –
Halogenated and Non-Halogenated. If used to rinse off water, it can go down the drain.

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c) Non-Halogenated Organics that are very water soluble such as methanol, ethanol,
propanol, acetic acid, acetone, etc. Modern biological sewage treatment facilities can
degrade these.
d) Solutions of inorganic salts such as NaCl, CaCl2, Na2SO4, NaNO3, or Na2HPO4 which
do not contain hazardous metals. Solids of this type that are wet with organic solvents
should be allowed to dry in a hood before disposal in the trash bin. Aqueous solutions of
these same salts can be flushed down the drain.
e) Non-hazardous Solids such as sand, alumina, silica gel, sodium sulphate, filter paper,
boiling stone or sticks, etc. should never be disposed into the sink. They should be
dried by spreading them on a sheet of paper in the hood and allowing all organic solvents
to evaporate. When completely dried, they can then be thrown in the trash bin.

What happens to organic waste once you properly dispose of it?

For the most part, the organics are burned, including the halogenated organics, which are mixed
with non-halogenated materials to aid their combustion. The combustion gases produced by the
halogenated materials must be thoroughly scrubbed to prevent hydrohalic acid release to the
atmosphere. Organic solids are dissolved in organic solvents and burned. That is why we can
combine both liquid and solid organics in one bottle. That is why inorganic salts cannot be put
into the organic container as they are non-combustible and would clog the combustion nozzle.

Hazardous metals – Sodium

a) Hazards Criteria
i. Reactive
ii. Flammable solid
iii. Corrosive
iv. Volatile
v. Catches fire if exposed to air
vi. Harmful or fatal if swallowed
vii. Harmful if inhaled or absorbed through skin
viii. Contact may cause burns to all body tissue
b) Handling and Storage
i. Keep in tightly closed container, stored in a cool, dry, ventilated area.
ii. Protect against physical damage.
iii. Keep away from water or locations where water may be needed for fire.
iv. Avoid high temperatures.
v. Store under paraffin oil. Never store under halogenated hydrocarbons.
vi. A detached fire-resistive building is recommended for quantity storage. Isolate
from air, acids, oxidizing materials and incompatible substance.
vii. Sodium containers may be hazardous when empty since they retain product
residues.
c) Accidental Release Measures
Collect spilled material quickly and transfer to a container of kerosene, light oil or similar
hydrocarbon fluid for recovery. Minimize exposure to air. Do not use water on metal. If
the spilled sodium has come into contact with water, proceed cautiously. The reaction
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can rapidly proceed to self-ignition of hydrogen and spattering of molten sodium.

Evacuate the area, put on protective equipment and proceed as with a metal fire. Waste
sodium should be packaged under a hydrocarbon fluid and sent to an approved disposal
facility.

Hazardous metal – mercury

Small spills are those involving less than a dime-sized puddle of mercury metal. These small
spills can be scooped up using a small, disposal dustpan or sucked up using a syringe or dropper.
Another way is using tape to pick up the mercury. However, this method does not deal with the
vapour problem. Safety equipment, if available, should include disposable liquid-proof gloves
and eye protection.

The most effective way to clean up mercury spills is to first spread sand, clay or sawdust in a
circle around the spill to stop the mercury from spreading. Then add an amalgamating powder
to the spill to solidify the mercury and reduce evaporation (amalgamating powders is available
in a mercury clean up kit). Once the mercury spill turns into a solid amalgam, the vapour hazard
is reduced and the material can be easily picked up and put in a sealed plastic bag.

Do not try to vacuum up spilled mercury with an ordinary household vacuum cleaner – it
will only make more vapours and spread poisonous mercury vapours all over the
laboratory.

All mercury waste should be put into a vapour-proof, sturdy unbreakable container to prevent re-
spreading the contamination if the container is dropped. Plastic jars or other thick-walled plastic
bottles work well. Anything that touched or held the liquid mercury, including anything used to
clean up the mercury, should also be considered contaminated and may need to be disposed of
as mercury waste. Only testing by a qualified professional can determine whether clothing and
other items are safe to keep.

1.3 PROCEDURE

Activity 1

In chemistry laboratory, there are various safety aid/equipment that are provided for the students.
Identify and make a list of this laboratory safety aid/equipment (at least 5), state the function.

Activity 2

One of the safety measures when preparing chemical substances is to read the label on the
chemical bottles or container to make sure the right substance is used. Work in pairs, choose 5
different labels presented on the chemical bottle or container. Then, make a list of the safety
labels and its function.

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1.4 QUESTIONS

1. According to the dress code, what should you wear in the laboratory?

2. State all types of goggles and explain when you should wear them.

3. In what cases might you be asked to leave the laboratory?

4. Can you wear contact lenses? Why?

5. What should you do if:

a) you broke a beaker and cut your finger.

b) chemicals splashed on your face.

c) the fire alarm sounds.

d) your shirt caught on fire.

e) chemicals spilled on your pants.

1.5 REFERENCES

1. Bill Floundes & Wei Chang Li (2013). Microfabrication Technology. Safety Rules and
Chemical Handling. Retrieved from
https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee143/fa14/handouts/EE143_SafetyRules_Sep2013upd
ated.pdf

2. Phillip Carson & Clive Mumford (2002). Hazardous Chemicals Handbook. Second
edition. Butterworth Heinemann. Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 225
Wildwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801-2041

3. KEMI Swedish Chemical Agency. Safe handling of chemicals (2016). Retrieved from
https://www.kemi.se/en/prio-start/chemicals-in-practical-use/safe-handling-of-chemicals

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1.6 WORKSHEET

Activity 1

Safety Aids Function

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Activity 2

Chemical Hazard Symbols Type Labels Function

___________________ _____________________________
DATE LECTURER’S SIGNATURE/STAMP