CHEM 103 LAB EXPERIMENTS 1–8 KEY
CONCEPTS AND LAB TECHNIQUES NOTES
2026
◉ If you need to work with a flammable or volatile solvent, which
piece of lab equipment should you be sure to use? Answer: Fume
hood with good ventilation.
◉ Your lab partner accidentally spills some acid on his wrist and
watchband. What should you do? Answer: Let the TA inspect his
wrist to see if it is okay.
Remove the watch and wristband immediately, and rinse his wrist
for at least 15 minutes to be sure all hazardous material has been
washed away.
◉ For which of the following situations should you be sure to notify
your TA and fill out an incident report form? Answer: You begin to
feel faint and dizzy in lab because you had to skip lunch.
You accidentally pick up a beaker from the hot plate, not realizing
that it was already hot, and the edge of the beaker leaves a small red
mark on your thumb.
During lab check-out at the end of the semester, your lab partner
accidentally drops a beaker, and a small chip of glass causes a
scratch on your ankle because you weren't wearing socks.
,During check-in you discover a broken funnel in your drawer, and
the broken end of the stem causes a small nick through your glove.
You arrive in lab, but realize that your cold medicine is making you
feel groggy.
If your ailment does not originate in lab, you must still let your TA
know and he will propose an excused absence. If you cannot drive,
you should not come to lab.
No matter how small the injury, you must fill out an incident report.
◉ List the steps you would take if you find broken glassware in your
lab drawer, or if a piece of glassware breaks during the lab. Answer:
1. Notify your TA.
2. Use a pair of leather gloves found in the lab to prevent nicks or
cuts.
3. Clean up large pieces and dispose of the designated glass only
waste container.
4. Use the dustpan and brush to sweep up small shards and dispose
of them in the designated glass waste.
◉ What is your BEST resource for understanding the nature of the
chemical hazards of materials you work with in lab? Answer: Safety
Data Sheets
, ◉ Consider the following scenario: A student has prepared a series
of analytical solutions to be run on an instrument in another room.
The student has worn gloves throughout the preparation of the
solutions, and has wiped up all drips and spills that occurred during
that process. The student removes her gloves before leaving the lab
room and carries her solutions in scintillation vials in a large clean
beaker to the room where the instrument is located. Once in the new
room, the student obtains a new pair of gloves before dispensing the
solutions for analysis.
What changes could be made to improve her procedures? Answer:
The student could have chosen a plastic bin, or other less breakable
container to carry her solutions to the instrument so that she wasn't
carrying glassware with her bare hands.
The student could have worn a single glove on the hand she used for
transporting the solutions to the instrument room, and used her
non-gloved hand for opening doors and pushing elevator buttons.
The student could have worked with her lab partner so that one of
them could carry the materials with gloved hands, while the other
opened doors and pressed elevator buttons with non-gloved hands
◉ When should you be sure to use a sealed container and/or
secondary containment in the laboratory? Answer: When
transporting materials from one lab room to another.
◉ What is the most important consideration to preserve safety
when it is necessary to feed glass tubing, thermometers, or other
CONCEPTS AND LAB TECHNIQUES NOTES
2026
◉ If you need to work with a flammable or volatile solvent, which
piece of lab equipment should you be sure to use? Answer: Fume
hood with good ventilation.
◉ Your lab partner accidentally spills some acid on his wrist and
watchband. What should you do? Answer: Let the TA inspect his
wrist to see if it is okay.
Remove the watch and wristband immediately, and rinse his wrist
for at least 15 minutes to be sure all hazardous material has been
washed away.
◉ For which of the following situations should you be sure to notify
your TA and fill out an incident report form? Answer: You begin to
feel faint and dizzy in lab because you had to skip lunch.
You accidentally pick up a beaker from the hot plate, not realizing
that it was already hot, and the edge of the beaker leaves a small red
mark on your thumb.
During lab check-out at the end of the semester, your lab partner
accidentally drops a beaker, and a small chip of glass causes a
scratch on your ankle because you weren't wearing socks.
,During check-in you discover a broken funnel in your drawer, and
the broken end of the stem causes a small nick through your glove.
You arrive in lab, but realize that your cold medicine is making you
feel groggy.
If your ailment does not originate in lab, you must still let your TA
know and he will propose an excused absence. If you cannot drive,
you should not come to lab.
No matter how small the injury, you must fill out an incident report.
◉ List the steps you would take if you find broken glassware in your
lab drawer, or if a piece of glassware breaks during the lab. Answer:
1. Notify your TA.
2. Use a pair of leather gloves found in the lab to prevent nicks or
cuts.
3. Clean up large pieces and dispose of the designated glass only
waste container.
4. Use the dustpan and brush to sweep up small shards and dispose
of them in the designated glass waste.
◉ What is your BEST resource for understanding the nature of the
chemical hazards of materials you work with in lab? Answer: Safety
Data Sheets
, ◉ Consider the following scenario: A student has prepared a series
of analytical solutions to be run on an instrument in another room.
The student has worn gloves throughout the preparation of the
solutions, and has wiped up all drips and spills that occurred during
that process. The student removes her gloves before leaving the lab
room and carries her solutions in scintillation vials in a large clean
beaker to the room where the instrument is located. Once in the new
room, the student obtains a new pair of gloves before dispensing the
solutions for analysis.
What changes could be made to improve her procedures? Answer:
The student could have chosen a plastic bin, or other less breakable
container to carry her solutions to the instrument so that she wasn't
carrying glassware with her bare hands.
The student could have worn a single glove on the hand she used for
transporting the solutions to the instrument room, and used her
non-gloved hand for opening doors and pushing elevator buttons.
The student could have worked with her lab partner so that one of
them could carry the materials with gloved hands, while the other
opened doors and pressed elevator buttons with non-gloved hands
◉ When should you be sure to use a sealed container and/or
secondary containment in the laboratory? Answer: When
transporting materials from one lab room to another.
◉ What is the most important consideration to preserve safety
when it is necessary to feed glass tubing, thermometers, or other
