Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025

Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester

Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

Practical work 1
Chemical Laboratory: Organization, Safety and Security

I. Objective
Laboratory work is a critical component of all chemistry programs, beginning with
introductory-level undergraduate classes. Therefore, students need to develop a solid
foundation in the basic principles and procedures of laboratory safety and to deepen their
knowledge as they progress through their academic career.
II. Basic laboratory safety rules
A. In a laboratory, the wearing of a lab coat is obligatory.
B. The main prohibitions:
 Do not eat or drink in the laboratory.
 It is especially dangerous to smoke in laboratories and in areas where chemicals are
stored.
 Do not taste, smell or inhale unknown chemicals.
 Avoid the contact of chemicals with the skin.
 Do not ever pipette liquid by mouth, this operation must be performed using aspirating
pipettes.
 Do not wear loose clothing or flammable. Large cuffs and folds can knock things over,
get caught in machinery, or drag through flames or chemicals.
 Do not closely observe containers containing boiling liquids.
 Never place the container directly under your nose and inhale the vapors.
 When pouring a liquid, do not place your face near or above the containers.
 Do not heat products in a closed container. You must leave an opening of a suitable size
and pointed away from you and from people nearby.
 Do not use equipment or apparatus if you are not familiar with how it works.
 Do not perform experiments not authorised by the member of the teaching staff in
charge.
C. The main recommendations
 Having a thoughtful attitude aware of potential risks and appropriate measures to be
taken. In other words, working carefully and methodically.
 Workspaces must always be kept clean and tidy, without books or coats, bags, excess
of reagent packs, unnecessary equipment, superfluous objects or spilled chemical
products (these must be cleaned up immediately).
 Behavior must be correct: no joking, running, playing, or screaming.
 Dress properly for the lab. Wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible. Sandals
are not permitted. All loose clothing and long hair must be confined.

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

 Hands must be washed with soap and running water before and after handling
chemicals, materials....
 All bottles should be labelled with the product they contain, their concentration and the
date of preparation.
 When handling a product for the first time, you must familiarize yourself with its
properties and consult the toxicological data sheet.
 When handling volatile products or products with unpleasant smells, it is advisable to
use the gas cabinet. The operator must remain on the outside of the cabinet.
 The experiment is not finished until the residues have been removed and the materials
used have been cleaned.
 Clean up all spillages immediately.
 Bottles that do not contain water must be clearly labelled.
 Never add water to concentrated acids (risk of splashing and burns).
 Be cautious not to contaminate a solid by using a dirty spatula.
 Never return unused chemicals to their original containers.
 Certain chemicals, particularly concentrated solutions of volatile substances such as
HCl, NH3, ..., and organic solvents, must be handled under the ventilated hood, away
from open flames.
 The majority of basic tools used in the laboratory are made of glass. Special attention is
required to avoid breakage.
 Do not heat non-Pyrex glassware. Pyrex glass is made of borosilicate glass with a low
coefficient of expansion, which allows it to be heated.
 At the end of the practical work, empty all containers, rinse and store the glassware, fill
the burettes with water, clean the workspace, be sure all electrical devices and water are
turned off, and call the teacher for checking.
D. The student’s attendance at the practical session is compulsory.
E. Before approaching a practical task, the student is required to reflect extensively on the work
to be done and have a thorough understanding of the involved reactions. To achieve this, the
student will have access to the collection of practical assignments for the entire semester from
the first session, and a time for contemplation will be allocated at the beginning of each session.
F. Before starting the practical work, make sure that all the necessary materials and products
for the manipulation are available.
III. Practical Work Report
The student is required to follow the following methodology to write and present a report on a
practical work:
1. Purpose
2. Materials, Methods and Procedure
3. Calculation and Results
4. Conclusion

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

IV. List of Chemistry lab Apparatus and glassware and its uses

 Burettes: A very popular equipment, mostly used in the titration reactions, and is a
handful in delivering a known volume of any substance to other equipment. This
apparatus is a long-graduated tube, with a stopcock present at the lower end and a
narrow opening at the bottom. They are usually set up by using a burette clamp in
combination with a ring stand. It usually comes in the sizes of 10ml, 25ml, or 50ml.
 Graduated pipette: it is a laboratory instrument used for accurately measuring and
transferring a specific volume of liquid. It typically consists of a narrow glass tube with
a bulbous or tapered end, which is used to draw and dispense the liquid. The pipette is
marked with graduated lines along its length, indicating various volume measurements.
These markings allow the user to precisely measure the desired volume of liquid.
 Volumetric pipette: it is a laboratory instrument used to measure and transfer a precise
volume of liquid with high accuracy. It is designed to deliver a single specific volume
of liquid, typically with an accuracy of four significant figures or better. Volumetric
pipettes come in various sizes, each calibrated to deliver a specific volume.
 Volumetric flasks: This is one of the most important glassware of any lab, which is
made up of glass and is calibrated to hold a precise volume of liquids at any precise
temperature. Different sizes of volumetric flasks are available, each calibrated for exact
measurement of liquids and solutions. It is mostly used in the preparation of standard
solutions.
 Graduated cylinders: These are some cylindrical apparatus with several markings up
and down the length of the container with the primary function dealing with proper
measurement of a specific volume of liquid with precision. While taking readings, one
needs to be careful to take into consideration the reading with respect to the meniscus
of the liquid.
 Beakers: Beakers are cylindrical utensils made up of borosilicate glass, with a flat
bottom and the upper opening having a rim around it along with a spout. The spout on
their rim’s aids in the proper pouring of solutions and they do not have any covering on
the top. Most of the time watch glasses are used to cover their solutions. They are of
varying sizes and are used to hold, heat, or mix substances with a proper measure.
Although they come with graduated calibrations, they are not meant for precise
calculations of solutions, and as such other apparatus come handy in this.
 An Erlenmeyer flask, also known simply as an Erlenmeyer or conical flask, is a
laboratory glassware container commonly used for holding, mixing, and heating liquids.
It features a flat, wide base that tapers up to a narrower cylindrical neck, which ends in
a conical shape at the top. This design allows for easy swirling of liquids without
excessive splashing, making it particularly useful for mixing or titrating solutions.
 Test tubes: They are usually cylindrical pipes made up of glass, with a circular opening
on one side and a rounded bottom on the other. They come in different sizes but the
most common standard size is 18*150 mm. Test tubes are one of the most important
apparatus as they are functional from storing to mixing reagents in any chemical or
biological reactions. They become very handy when a large number of samples need to
be tested for qualitative assessment of any test.

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

 A watch glass is a flat, circular piece of glass with a slightly raised rim, typically used
in laboratories and various scientific settings. It is designed to be placed on a surface to
cover containers like beakers, evaporating dishes, or Petri dishes. The primary purpose
of a watch glass is to prevent contamination or evaporation of the contents within the
covered container. It can also be used for holding small amounts of substances.
 Funnels: Funnels are necessary equipment to pour substances and solutions in narrow-
mouthed test tubes and conical flasks. There is variety of its available, the most common
ones are filter, thistle, and dropping funnels.
 Spatulas and scoopulas: These laboratory spatulas are very much similar to the kitchen
like spatulas found in our home but they are just very smaller in size in comparison. The
spatulas are usually resistant to heat and acids, hence making them suitable for large
range use in the laboratory experiments.
 Thermometer: Every lab is equipped with a basic thermometer as many a time, certain
chemical or biological reaction can be carried out in any particular temperature range
only and so to proceed, the thermometer becomes very necessary to measure the
temperature of the required solution before moving forward with further reaction
procedure.
 A balance is a laboratory instrument used for accurately measuring the mass or weight
of substances. It is an essential tool for conducting precise quantitative experiments and
analyses in chemistry.

V. Hazard pictograms (symbols)

Hazard pictograms alert us to the presence of a hazardous chemical. The pictograms help us to
know that the chemicals we are using might cause harm to people or the environment. One or
more pictograms might appear on the labelling of a single chemical. These pictograms consist
of an image with a warning symbol red diamond shape and white background, with a black
illustration inside.
Symbol Signification Risk Description Example
it means that you are Chlorinated products
Oxidizing in the presence of such as bleach,
oxidizing gases,hydrogen peroxide,
solids or liquids thatfertilizers or
can cause or intensifyherbicides.
a fire or explosion. Nitric acid at 70%
and above.
Chemicals that have acetone,
Flammable low flash alcohols
points and may catch
fire on
contact with air or
ignition
source
Acute toxicity Chemicals that, Methanol, benzene,
through inhalation, phenol...

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

ingestion, or skin
penetration in small
quantities quickly
cause sickness or
death. A toxin may
attack one or more
parts of the body,
such as the liver,
kidneys, nerves,
lungs, skin, eyes, or
bone.
Chemicals that Hexane,
Explosive explode upon impact, Hydrogen, butane,
friction, flame, or propane
heat.

These chemicals Hydrochloric acid at

Corrosive cause permanent 25% and above,
damage to skin phosphoric acid at
or eyes. over 25%
These chemicals
destroy metals.
These chemicals are Pesticide, carbon
Hazardous to the dangerous if they get tetrachloride.
environment into
rivers, lakes or
oceans.

VI. Additional safety instructions

Chemicals swallowed Do not pipette by mouth. Rinse the mouth,

Using aspirating pipettes. Do not give to drink,
Do not induce vomiting

Chemicals in the Eyes Using safety glasses Rinse the eye held open
under a stream of cold or
lukewarm water, head tilted,
contaminated eye below the
unaffected eye.
Inhaling a toxic substance Working under a hood, Breathe fresh air
Producing minimal
quantities of gas
Chemical burn Wear a lab coat/apron Immediately rinse under a
- Use small quantities cold water stream,

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R

- Use the minimum Remove contaminated

necessary concentrations clothing without touching
- Label containers the face.
- Use gloves if necessary
Thermal burn loose clothing and long hair Rinse immediately under a
must be confined, stream of cold water for 15
No synthetic clothing, wear minutes.
a cotton coat lab. Keep the clothes stuck to the
skin.
Injury Use cloths and lubricant to Stop the blood flow with a
thread a tube into a stopper, pad, while applying pressure
Discard the cracked to the wound.
glassware.
Fire Tidy Workspaces, Try to put out the fire using
Knowing how to use the fire the means available inside
extinguisher, wet mop, and and outside the laboratory,
fire blanket. Lay the person on the
ground and cover them with
the fire extinguishing
blanket.

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Department: Common Core Technology Academic year: 2024/2025
Module: Chemistry Practical work 1st Semester
Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Fergani Z/ Dr. Alouaoui R