PHAM 1144

• Health and safety measures in the laboratory include being aware of the hazards and applying safety measures to prevent accidents, wearing correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and personal habits that minimise risks of hazards occurring.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) includes gloves, safety glasses, lab coat, masks, fume hood.
• Determining the Melting Point of a Compound is demonstrated on page 13 of the worksheet and in a video on Youtube.
• When calculating unknown concentrations and volumes of a solution or buffer from known samples, the formula is: Known Sample C1 x V1 where C = concentration and V = volume.
• To find the concentration of an unknown sample, rearrange the formula: C1 x V1 = C2 x V2.
• When weighing compounds, the amount of solid to be weighed and the precision required determine the appropriate balance to use.
• When using a spectrophotometer, the appropriate blank solution (water) is first calibrated and then the absorbance is measured for the aqueous solutions of methyl orange provided.
• To measure pH, the pH probe is first calibrated and then the pH of solutions A, B and C are determined.
• An analytical balance is used to accurately weigh about 100 mg of NaCl.
• Two items of glassware used for conducting volumetric dilutions are a pipette and a volumetric flask.
• A titration is performed using 25 ml of 0.5 M NaOH with X M amount of HCl.
• Personal habits that minimise risks of hazards occurring include not eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or applying cosmetics, or removing/ inserting contact lenses while in the laboratory, washing hands before leaving laboratory or after handling contaminated material, and long hair tied back, no open toe shoes or shorts.
• When physical and health hazards exist, it is very important to know your surroundings, including the location of the eyewash/safety shower and First Aid Kit, emergency spill kit (chemical, biological or radioactive agents), emergency exits (fire risk), and fire extinguisher location.
• Accuracy and precision in laboratory measurements are determined by the limits of accuracy, which are uncertainty values (errors) attached to each glassware used to measure liquids.
• Precision is how closely two or more measurements agree with each other.
• The ± sign indicates the upper and lower limits of an accurate and precise reading.
• In a volumetric dilution, a known volume of a solution is added to a known volume of another solution to produce a diluted solution of a specified concentration.
• Measuring liquids requires the use of appropriate glassware and equipment.
• The dilution factor in a volumetric dilution is the ratio of the volumes of the initial solutions to the volume of the diluted solution.
• Accuracy is how close a measured value is to the actual value.
• Accuracy and precision enable us to produce data that has high repeatability and reproducibility.
• Glassware and equipment identification is a crucial aspect of laboratory work.
• Volumetric dilution is a technique used to accurately measure small volumes of liquids.
• During a fire, you must evacuate the building as directed by the senior person in the laboratory.
• Report all accidents to the senior academic/technical support staff present.
• Plastic-ware needs to be disposed correctly.
• The aim is to revisit and explain the basic laboratory skills and techniques that will be used in your degree.
• Report accidents (general/personal injury) to a member of academic/technical staff.
• Always pay attention and read labels and instructions.
• Sharps are defined as any instrument, tool, or item that has rigid, acute edges, protuberances or corners capable of cutting, piercing, ripping or puncturing such as syringes, blades, and broken glass.
• The reliability of experimental data depends on the correct use of basic laboratory techniques and skills, such as pipetting, dilution, weighing etc.
• Each laboratory has a telephone, with a list of emergency contact numbers.
• In the event of fire alarm, follow the instructions of the academic/technical staff member present.
• Contaminated waste needs to go in the appropriate bin.
• Waste should be placed in the appropriate containers (sharps, contaminated plastic).
• Ensure bench is clean and tidied before leaving the laboratory.
• Always ask for help if unsure, as academics and technical support staff are available.
• During the session, we will refer to the worksheet provided and watch videos of techniques.
• For correct disposal of waste under authorised regulation, all sharps must be placed into a labelled “sharps bin”.