Safety First!

Safety is crucial in the chemistry lab. We must always put our safety first! There are so many hazards that we must work to avoid. Here's the list of rules that our class came up with:
1. No eating in the lab
2. No horseplay
3. Follow instructions
4. Do not mix chemicals
5. Wash your hands before and after conducting an experiment
6. Wear appropriate lab safety equipment
7. Waft chemicals when smelling
8. Tell Mr. Doktor if you spill something or if you are hurt
9. Tie long hair back
10. No loose clothing
11. Be aware of your surroundings


WHMIS divides hazardous materials into six main classes based on their specific hazards:

Compressed Gas: Products held under pressure Flammable and Combustible Material: Products that will burn or catch on fire easily Oxidizing Material: Products that can cause or promote combustion of another material (whether or not they are themselves combustible) or products that are organic peroxides Materials Causing Immediate and Serious Toxic Effects: Products that can cause or promote combustion of another material (whether or not they are themselves combustible) or products that are organic peroxides Materials Causing Other Toxic Effects: Products whose health effects generally appear over time following one or several exposures
  Biohazardous Infectious Materials: Living organisms or their toxins that can cause disease in people or animals
Corrosive Materials: Products that can corrode metal surfaces or cause burns to skin
Dangerously Reactive Material: Products that can be health or safety hazards under certain conditons (pressure, temperature, impact, violent reaction with water or air)


Here is a very funny, yet very serious instructional video on lab safety:

We then familiarized ourselves with the lab equipment that we were given. This year, as chemistry students, we will be working with the following equipment:

(Note that we will even be working with bunsen burners. Clearly, safety is a must in the chemistry lab.)

    
To top the lesson off, Mr. Doktor made styrofoam cups vanish! The cups "disappear" because acetone breaks down carbon bonds:


Next class, balancing and naming chemical equations!