GENERAL LABORATORY
RULES & SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS
PROPER ATTIRE
1. Dress properly during a laboratory activity.
2. Safety goggles and laboratory gowns must be worn
whenever you work in the lab.
Gloves should be worn whenever you use
chemicals that cause skin irritations or
need to handle hot equipment.
3. Closed toe shoes and long pants must be worn
in the lab. Sandals and shorts are not allowed
4. Long hair must be tied back when working with
open flames.
CONDUCT INSIDE THE LABORATORY
1. Be familiar with your laboratory assignment before you come to lab
premises.
2. Students are not allowed to enter inside the instrumentation room
and chemical room without the permission of the instructor.
3. Eating, drinking, and smoking are strictly prohibited in the
laboratory.
4. No unauthorized experiments are to be performed.
5. Never taste anything.
6. Never directly smell the source of any vapor or gas. Instead, through
your cupped hand, waft a small sample to your nose.
7. Backpacks should be left on the lab shelves. Lab chemicals can
destroy personal belongings.
8. Observe good housekeeping practices. Work areas should be
kept clean at all times.
9. Know the locations and operating procedures of all safety
equipment including fumehood, first aid kit, eyewash station,
safety shower and fire extinguisher.
10. Be alert and always proceed with caution in the laboratory.
11. Dispose all chemical wastes properly.
13. Keep your hands away from your face, eyes, mouth and
body while using chemicals. Wash your hands with soap and
water after performing all experiments. Clean (with detergent
powder), rinse, and dry all work surfaces and equipment at the
end of the experiment.
14. At the end of the laboratory session, ensure that
a) the main gas outlet valve is shut off;
b) the water is turned off
c) desk top, floor area, and sink are clean; and
d) all equipment are clean and arranged properly
PROPER HANDLING OF CHEMICALS AND EQUIPMENT
1. Consider all chemicals to be hazardous unless you are
instructed otherwise.
2. Know what chemicals you are using. Carefully read the label
twice before taking anything from a bottle.
3. Many common reagents are highly flammable. Do not use
them anywhere near open flames.
4. Always pour acids into water.
5. If chemicals come into contact with your skin or eyes, flush
immediately with abundant amounts of water and consult with
your instructor.
6. Contact the stockroom technician for clean-up of mercury
spills.
COMMON LABORATORY PROCEDURES
1. CLEANING APPARATUS
All apparatus must be washed with water and
detergent, with the aid of a brush or sponge.
2. RECORDING DATA
All data must be recorded first on a small
notebook. Data should be organized and entered
on the appropriate spaces in the manual.
3. MEASURING VOLUMES
The graduated cylinder measures approximately
volumes of liquids.
“HOW TO READ VOLUMES IN A GRADUATED
CYLINDER?”
4. PREPARING A FILTER PAPER FOR
FILTRATION
Filtration is done to separate a solid from a liquid.
“HOW TO PREPARE THE FILTER PAPER FOR
FILTRATION?”
5. DETECTING THE ODORS OF GASES
“HOW TO DETECT THE ODOR OF GASES?”
6. TRANSFERRING SOLID CHEMICALS
Transferring into another container can be done in
any of the following ways:
a.
b.
c.
From the stock bottle, use a clean spatula.
From stock bottle into a test tube, pour the granulated solid into a
paper box and into the test tube.
From wide-mouthed containers, large quantities of solids can be
transferred by shaking the original container to loosen its contents
before opening the cap. Tilt the bottle and rotate back and forth,
without shaking, as you pour out its contents.
7. TRANSFERRING LIQUID CHEMICALS
Place a stirring rod against the inner wall of a
beaker. Allow the liquid to flow down the rod
into the beaker.
8. DETERMINING THE MASS
Electronic Top-Loading Balance. This can weigh
up to three decimal places or up to the nearest
thousandth of a gram.