Lab Techniques

Laboratory
Operations
and
Techniques
OBJECTIVES
Demonstrate
proper techniques in
transferring solid chemicals,
transferring liquid reagents, heating,
separating a solid from a liquid,
preparing saturated solutions and
determining odors of substances;
Appreciate the need to observe
proper laboratory techniques to avoid
accidents and achieve maximum
efficiency.
TRANSFERRING
SOLID
CHEMICALS
Solid chemicals are generally

kept in reagent bottles. Stoppers
of reagent bottles should be laid
with the flat side on the table to
prevent contamination. If the
stopper has winged top, it is held
between two fingers and never
laid on the table. Dark colored
reagent bottles are used to
protect some chemicals from
bright light.
Solid
chemicals are spooned

out from the reagent bottle
using a clean and dry
spatula. A dirty spatula will
not only contaminate the
portion taken but also what
is left in the bottle.
Use a piece of paper to

transfer solids to a
small
mouthed
container like a test
tube. The technique of
transferring solids to a
test
tube
are
as
follows:
Get
a piece of clean paper.

Fold it lengthwise. Cut it
such that it is about 2cm
longer than the test tube
and slightly wider than its
diameter. Place the solid
near the edge of the paper.
Hold the test tube in a
horizontal position.
Then slide the paper into the

test tube until it touches the
bottom. Incline the test tube
and tap the paper gently. In this
way, the solid is deposited at
the bottom of the test tube and
not along the sides. Practice the
technique of transferring solids
to a test tube using common
table salt.
TRANSFERRIN
G LIQUID
REAGENTS
To
transfer a liquid reagent to

another container, you may do
the following techniques:
When pouring a liquid into a wide
mouthed container, have the neck
of the reagent bottle touch the rim
of the receiving vessel.
Use a glass rod or a funnel when
transferring a liquid into a narrow
mouthed container. The glass rod or
funnel directs the flow of the liquid
and prevents it from spilling down
the side of the container.
If only small amounts of liquid

reagent are needed, a pipette or
a medicine dropper may be
used. A pipette is a glass tube
calibrated to deliver specific
volume of liquids. Perfect the
technique of transferring a liquid
from a reagent bottle to a
beaker, a graduated cylinder,
and a test tube. Use water as
the liquid.
HEATING
LIQUIDS
When heating a small amount of

liquid in a test tube, use a test tube
holder. Hold the test tube at an
angle of 45 and heat its content
by passing it back and forth over
the flame. Never look directly into
the test tube that is being heated.
Never point it toward anyone. Do
not cover the test tube with a
rubber or cork stopper while
heating. The test tube might break
due to the build up of pressure.
Use a beaker of a flask when

heating a large amount of liquid.
Wire gauze is placed over an iron
ring to prevent direct heating.
Glassware like beakers, flasks, and
the evaporating dish should not be
heated directly. If an iron clamp is
used to hold the container, it
should not be fastened too tightly
to prevent breakage. Glass
expands when heated.
To heat a test tube that is

mounted on an iron
stand, hold the burner
and
pass
the
flame
underneath. The test tube
is always clamped at the
upper portion.
SEPARATING A
SOLID FROM
A LIQUID
In
the laboratory, it is sometimes necessary

to separate a solid from a liquid. The
commonly used separation methods are the
following:
Filtration
Filtration
is the process of separating solid

particles from a liquid by pouring the
mixture through filter paper. The first step
in filtration is the preparation of the filter
paper. Get a piece of filter paper and fold it
into halves. Then fold this into quarters. Cut
it to form a circle. Open the filter paper
such that you have one fold on one side
and three folds on the other side. Moisten
the paper so that it fits snugly into the
funnel. The rim of the filter paper should be
lower than the rim of the funnel. The liquid
that passes through the filter paper is
called the filtrate.
Decantation
When
a solid is heavy and has a

tendency to settle, the separation is
accomplished by decantation. This is
the process of allowing the solid
particles to settle, then carefully
pouring off the liquid, referred to as the
supernatant liquid. Practice filtration
and decantation using a 25-mL mixture
of charcoal and water. Compare the
extent of separation of the solid and the
liquid in the two processes
PREPARING
SATURATED
SOLUTIONS
In
some experiments, you will be

required to prepare saturated
solutions. A saturated solution is an
example of a dynamic equilibrium
where the rate of dissolution is
equal to the rate of crystallization.
Solute + solvent solution
You can prepare a saturated
solution by continually adding the
solute to a given quantity of solvent
until no more of the solid dissolves,
even after constant stirring.
DETERMINING
ODOR
Determining odor involves
some danger since many

substances are poisonous. To
do this, open the reagent bottle
and hold it about 13cm from
your face. Fan very gently the
air above the bottle toward you
and inhale the air. Do not
breathe in heavily, just sniff.
Thank
You!!

Lab Techniques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lab Techniques

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lab Techniques

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Laboratory

Solid chemicals are generally

chemicals are spooned

Use a piece of paper to

a piece of clean paper.

Then slide the paper into the

transfer a liquid reagent to

If only small amounts of liquid

When heating a small amount of

Use a beaker of a flask when

To heat a test tube that is

the laboratory, it is sometimes necessary

is the process of separating solid

a solid is heavy and has a

some experiments, you will be

some danger since many

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.