Laboratory Skills
Chapter 2: Background
Laboratory Safety
 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
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Glasses vs. goggles
Gloves
Lab coat
Face shields
 Safety cabinets
 Location and function of
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Gas shutoffs
Fire extinguishers
Fire blankets
Eyewash/shower
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Laboratory Notebooks
 Importance of
recording actual
data as it happens
 Format
 Purpose
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Laboratory Notebooks
 What to include
– Numbered
procedures
– Tables
– Calculations with all
math and units
displayed
– Sketches, model
numbers, etc.
– Signatures
– To and from pages
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Equipment
 Graduated cylinders
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Equipment
 Volumetric flasks
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Equipment
 Serological pipets
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Equipment
 Pipet pumps
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Equipment
 Transfer pipets
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Equipment
 Burette
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Equipment
 Adjustable-volume micropipets
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Equipment
 Erlenmeyer flask
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Equipment
 Reagent bottles
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Equipment
 Triple beam balance
Photo courtesy of Ohaus Corporation
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Equipment
 Electronic balance
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Using an Electronic Balance
 Play video: Using an Electronic Balance
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Equipment
 Weigh boats
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Equipment
 pH meters
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Using a pH Meter
 Play video: Using a pH Meter
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Equipment
 Autoclave
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Washing Glassware
 Add small amount of laboratory soap and use a brush
to make sure all surfaces are washed
 Rinse with tap water until no suds are evident,
usually at least 3 times
 Rinse twice with distilled water
 Air-dry or use oven to dry
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Labeling
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Name of solution
Concentration
Date made
Name of person who
made it
 Potential hazards if
necessary
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Hazards
 Universal
hazards
label
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Significant Figures
 Rule 1: The number of significant figures is the
number of digits to the right of the first non-zero
number.
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Significant Figures
 Rule 2: When adding or subtracting numbers, the
resulting numbers cannot have any more significant
figures to the right of the decimal point than any value
used in the calculation.
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Significant Figures
 Rule 3: When multiplying or dividing numbers, the
answer cannot have any more significant figures than
the value in the calculation with the fewest significant
figures.
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Scientific Notation
 Shorthand method
to display numbers
that convey their
level of precision
 Uses a number
that is multiplied by
10 raised to a
positive or
negative number
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Units of Measure
 Metric prefixes and suffixes
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Preparing Solutions
 Percent solutions
– Mass per Volume (m/v)
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Preparing Solutions
 Percent solutions
– Volume per Volume (v/v)
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Preparing Solutions
 Dilutions
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Preparing Solutions
 Molar solutions
– Proportional method
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Preparing Solutions
 Molar solutions
– Unit cancellation method
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Diluting Molar Solutions
 Molar dilutions
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Chapter 2 Summary
Safety
Equipment
Numbers and
Accuracy
Making
Solutions
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• PPE
• Equipment and Locations
• Containers
• Uses
• Significant Figures
• Scientific Notation
• Molar Solutions
• Dilutions
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