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Here are some basic, important tips to remember:
- Record everything immediately. In this course use your laboratory notebook to record all measurements, information about chemicals, and information about procedures. Any results need to go immediately into your laboratory notebook – don’t wait until later!
- Don’t contaminate anything. What does this mean? For example:
- Cover things; such as, beakers with solutions stirring in them and solutions to be stored
- Don’t touch stir bars with your fingers and then put them into your solution.
- Don’t use spatulas unless you are certain they are clean.
- Don’t put chemicals back into stock bottles.
- You get the idea
- Label everything. For example, if you have a beaker on a stir plate, that beaker should be labeled. Put labels on beakers and tubes before you put chemicals into them. Make sure you put the right items into the container based on the label.
What is this unlabeled solution? Is it dangerous?
To label: Use markers that are not water-soluble.
Sharpie markers are a good brand for this purpose.
Labeling tape is practical for temporary labels.
- Don’t throw anything away until after you have analyzed your results. Neatly label and store everything till you are sure you are done with it.
- Clean up after yourself. There is nothing more annoying, and potentially dangerous, than a sloppy colleague. Remember that chemicals, bacteria, and such can contaminate later work.
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