September 9th - Safety, Styrofoam and Scoopulas

Today is the day of our first official blog entry!

We started today’s class by going to a lab station and identifying lab equipment. We managed to identify everything from scoopulas to evaporating dishes, as well as distinguished between Erlenmeyer and volumetric flasks. However, a triangular utensil was among the equipment, and we were unsure of what it could be used for. Later on, we learned it was a pipe stem triangle. These triangles are made from galvanized wire and porcelain pipe stemming, and can be used to hold a container over a Bunsen burner.

Shortly after, we made up a list of the ten most important safety rules in the lab. A few of the important rules our class brainstormed include:

• Do not leave your Bunsen burner unattended.
• Always use proper safety gear (lab coat, goggles, gloves, etc.)
• Always follow the teachers directions and procedures.
• Always add acid to water (instead of water to an acid) to prevent sudden overheating.
• Do not engage in horseplay.

Nearing the end of our class, we witnessed an astonishing chemical reaction. We observed how a Styrofoam cup disappeared in a container filled with acetone. The reason for this reaction is because the Styrofoam cup and acetone are both non-polar. After a little internet research, we learned that something that is non-polar will dissolve something else that is non-polar. We're looking forward to learning about this kind of reaction in class.

Here's a neat video of the reaction:

To conclude the class we received a WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) worksheet with safety symbols. These symbols can be found on products that could be harmful if improperly used, if stored improperly, if they come into contact with flesh, or pose any other type of hazard. The WHMIS safety symbols include:

Posted by Andrew.