West Lothian Council
Lorna C. Webster
1
Safety in the laboratory
Read
Safety is of great importance in the chemistry laboratory. You
have already learned about come of the rules for working safely
when you are doing experiments but this was a few months ago.
This section is to help you remember about the rules that you
agreed to follow.
Write a heading and then try to write out some rules (at least
five) for working safely in the laboratory. Try to do this
without looking back at your safety contract.
Lorna C. Webster
2
Safety using chemicals
Read
A special safety code is needed for everyone
who works with chemicals. This code is used
all around the world for people who speak
different languages so to make the code easy
to understand, a special set of hazard
warning symbols are used. You will find a list
of some of these symbols on the hazard
warning symbols information sheet.
Write a heading and try the work below.
1. Why is the safety code that is used for chemicals in symbols
rather than being written in words?
2. Copy the table below and complete it using the hazard
warning symbols sticky tape. You will need to leave four lines
to fit in each sticker. You can stick them in any order.
Hazard symbol sticker
Lorna C. Webster
what the symbol means
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3. John was daft enough to drink a chemical called lead sulphate
and after a few days it killed him. Which symbol would have
been on the bottle of lead sulphate?
4. What symbol do you think will be on bottles of acids?
5. The symbol with the flame is put onto bottles of alcohol in
laboratories. What does this mean?
6. What symbol will be put on the bottles of chemicals that can
make asthma worse if someone breathes them in?
7. Many everyday chemicals have hazard
warning symbols on them. Copy the table
below and complete it by looking atthe
containers in display 1. Do not open the
containers.
Name of chemical
Lorna C. Webster
what is the hazard?
4
Dealing with spills from tankers
Road tankers (and rail tankers) also have hazard warning
symbols on them. These help tell the police and fire brigade of
the dangers if an accident happens and the chemicals spill out.
As well as the hazard symbol the lorry also has numbers printed
on it so that the police or fire brigade can phone up and get
expert advice on the dangers and find out how to start cleaning
up the spilled chemicals.
Continue your answers by trying the questions below.
8. Why do tankers carrying chemicals have special markings on
them?
9. Suggest why the markings have numbers as well as hazard
warning symbols.
10. Log on to the internet and look at the site with the address
http://www.planetpals.com/hazardous_materials.html
Lorna C. Webster
5
a)
b)
c)
Draw the hazard warning symbol that would be on a
chemical that might explode.
List some example of the names of explosive materials.
Draw the hazard warning symbol that would be on a
chemical that is radioactive and could cause cancer.
Extra
Find out more about the transport of chemicals using the web
site:
http://www.btinternet.com/~antares/tranchem/
Click on the tanker then use the menu page in the box and click
on any links that you want to look at.
Write a note (at least half a page) to show what you have found.
You may wish to use pictures/drawings and add colour to make
it more interesting.
Lorna C. Webster
6
Adding chemicals together
Read
When some chemicals touch each other they can react to make
new chemicals. This is called a chemical reaction. If a chemical
reaction happens a new substance is always made and we might
see:




A change in colour
A gas being made
A solid being made
Heat being given out or used up
Your teacher will show you what happens when some chemicals
are mixed (demonstration 1). Copy the table below before the
demonstration. Leave two lines for each experiment.
Experiment
Lorna C. Webster
what I saw
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was it a chemical
reaction?
Everyday chemical reactions
Read
Chemical reactions that make new
substances are going on around us everyday.
You are now going to do an experiment to
look at some everyday situations. You will
need to decide if they are chemical
reactions or not. Remember, they are only
reactions if a new substance is made.
Write a heading and copy the table below into your jotter
before you start.
Look at each of the stations around the lab. For some you may
have to do a short task. Fill in your table as you go along.
Name of
station
what did you see?
chemical
reaction?
Copy and complete the sentences below.
Freezing, melting and boiling are not chemical reactions
because a n____ s________ is not being made. Burning is
always a chemical reaction. This means when a substance
burns a n____ s________ is always made.
We will learn more about chemical reactions later in unit 1.
Lorna C. Webster
8