CHEMICAL HANDLING AND REAGENT PREPARATION

CHEMICAL HANDLING AND REAGENT PREPARATION

Transport and handle bulk chemicals and concentrated reagents with extreme care. Always use

two hands when carrying bottles of acid or large sizes of stock chemicals. Plastic carrying

containers are available for transporting large bottles, which are not safety coated.

Always read the label on chemical bottles. Be aware of hazards and recommendations as to

protective equipment and storage of the chemical. Every chemical located in the lab has an

MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), which describes any hazards associated with that chemical

and how to handle the chemical safely. This information is available to all employees. Lab

MSDS' s are located in the file cabinet in the southwest comer of the lab and are arranged

alphabetically. Employees should return MSDS's to their proper location as soon as they are

finished using them.

Report any missing MSDS's to the Lab Health and Safety Officer.

"Chemical bottles should be dated when they are received and dated again when opened. Old

chemicals (aged 5 years+), particularly hazardous ones, should be disposed of in the appropriate

manner.

Identify, date and initial all reagents that are prepared for an analysis.

When preparing reagents, never leave an unlabeled solution unattended. If a sample must be left

to cool, for example, label the beaker or flask regarding contents and, if necessary, include a

hazard warning (ex: Hot Acid!, Hot Caustic!, or Toxic!)

The correct protective apparel for making large volumes of high strength H2SO4 or NaOH is an

apron and gloves. A face shield is

recommended for preparation of 1:1 H2SO4 solutions. Always stir these solutions continuously

as they are being prepared. The use of a plastic washtub on the stirring plates for “secondary

containment” (and cooling) is a good idea whenever quantities over one liter are being mixed.