Safety

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Safety Guidelines

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Handling Chemicals

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Waste Disposal

Safety Guidelines

The general chemistry laboratory is a dangerous place when proper safety precautions are not observed. Laboratory safety rules are listed on a separate sheet and posted in the laboratory.
Safety is common sense, but you must understand the hazards you face in the laboratory. If you come unprepared you will not be permitted in the laboratory.
The instructor has the authority to enforce the safety rules by lowering grades and/or ejecting a student from the laboratory.

> Contact Lenses - New York State law forbids the wearing of contact lenses in the laboratory. Solvent vapors can partially dissolve the lens, leading to permanent eye damage. You will be asked to leave this course immediately if you are caught wearing contact lenses in the laboratory.
> Goggles - You must wear your goggles at all times in the laboratory. Only the goggles sold at ChemPreps are approved for use in the lab. Visitors goggles, "Norton 180", do not provide splash and blast protection.
> Gloves - Wear latex gloves at all times. Remember that latex gloves react with sulfuric acid and give you very little protection from organic materials. When working with these compounds change your gloves frequently. Always wash your hands at the end of the period. Do not leave the laboratory with the gloves on.
> Smoking, eating, drinking and chewing gum are prohibited inside the laboratory.
> Mouth Pipetting - Is not permitted. Use an aspirator or a loose-fitting hose attached to a water aspirator. When pipetting, constantly watch the tip of the pipet, and do not allow it to draw air. Your instructor will demonstrate this important technique.
> Laboratory benches - An organized lab bench will avoid breakages, spills and all other kind of accidents; do not crowd your work area with unnecessary glassware. Do not sit on the laboratory bench. Assume that the bench is dirty even if you cannot see any spilled chemicals.
> Laboratory Attire - Proper laboratory dress is important for safety. Open toed shoes or perforated shoes (i.e. sandals) and shorts or short skirts should not be worn. Tie back and secure long hair so that it cannot get caught in lab equipment. Wear old clothes that you don't mind getting dirty or damaged. A laboratory apron is provided by ChemPreps, wear it at all times.
> Injury - Any injury must be reported immediately to the instructor, an accident report form must be filled out by the student or a witness. ChemPreps will provide such a form.. If the injured student needs to go to Health Services, he or she must be accompanied by the preceptor or ChemPreps staff regardless of the severity of the injury.
> Medical Condition - If you are suffering from any illness or are taking any medication you must inform the instructor at the beginning of the period. This information could be very important in an emergency.
> Spills - All spills must be reported to the instructor and immediately cleaned up. The instructors have been trained to use specialized spill cleanup equipment and they will assist you. Acid, base, solvent and mercury spill cleanup kits are in the laboratory. Do not walk by a puddle on the floor - clean it up before it causes an accident! Do not try to collect broken glass with your hands, there is a broom for that purpose.
> Emergency Equipment - The TA will instruct you about the location and use of the shower, eye wash, fire blanket, fire extinguisher, spill cleanup equipment, and first aid kit.
> Hoods - Every work-bench has a hood. Operations where flammable gas, toxic vapors, or noxious odors are given off must be performed in these hoods.
> Hot Plates - Care must be exercised. Be careful not to burn the hot plate's electric cord when performing evaporations At the end of the experiment you must clean up the hot plate heating surface and unplug it.

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Handling Chemicals

> -When pouring liquids use a stirring rod to direct the flow of the liquid being poured.
> -Always pour concentrated solutions slowly into water or into the less concentrated solutions while stirring.
> -Add a reagent in a reaction mixture slowly, never dump it in. Observe what takes place when the first amount is added and wait a few moments before adding more.
> -If an expected reaction does not initiate, ask your instructor for advice before adding additional amounts.
> -When delivering solids be careful not to allow dust to get into the air.
> -Carefully read the label before removing a reagent from its container, using the wrong substances can lead to accidents.
> -Do not use more material than directed. Remove from the container only approximately what is needed.
> -Never return chemicals to their original containers, dispose of unwanted solids in a labeled solid-waste container.

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Waste Disposal

> Throwing hazardous waste down the sink is unsafe, environmentally damaging and against the law. Failure to comply with the following policy could result in expulsion from the course.
> 1. All products, discards and washings from an experiment are hazardous waste unless otherwise instructed. This does not include clean water from water baths, ice baths, etc. Non hazardous solid waste: only paper towels may be placed in the regular trash. Paper towels that were used to wipe up solid chemical waste are considered hazardous solid waste and are not disposed of in the regular trash. Used filter paper is considered hazardous waste unless otherwise indicated.
> 2. It is the responsibility of each student to know how their waste should be handled.
> 3. Each student is provided with a 1L beaker for all liquid waste. The beaker must be kept under the canopy hood . Liquid waste are: aqueous solutions, reaction products, rinsing and washings. Should your beaker become full during lab inform the instructor. Do not dispose of it yourself.
> 4. If what you are disposing has precipitated solids, carefully decant the solvent into the 1L liquid waste flask so the solids remain and can be disposed of separately.
> 5. Specifically labeled containers for solid waste will be at the front bench. Containers will also be provided for recyclable and used paper products when needed.
> 7. Glass Waste. The yellow buckets are reserved for glass trash and used latex gloves only. Unbroken disposable glass should be rinsed before disposing in the glass trash.

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