CHM02c Organic Chemistry

Laboratory
Module 1
INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY
LABORATORY AND SAFETY

Prepared by Roberth Riggs Rondilla

In this module, we will begin with a brief introduction of organic chemistry

After the discussion, guide questions are given to you to assess your learnings in this
module. If you feel you didn’t grasp a certain topic, go back to that part and read it
again. If you still can’t get it, feel free to call my attention and ask me for further
clarification.

II. Objectives
At the end of this module, you should be able to
1. Oriented and guided on laboratory safety protocols
2. Proper attire in the laboratory
3. Recognize, assess, and minimize chemical hazards
4. Prepare to respond to emergencies

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III. Table of Contents
I. Overview………………………………………………………………………………1
II. Objective………………………………………………………………………………1
III. Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………2
IV. Discussion
1. Introduction to Organic Chemistry Laboratory………………………….3
2. Safety in the Laboratory………………………………………………………4
3. Guides to Chemical Hazards…………………………………………………9
V. Performance Task 1: Guide Questions……………………………………….14

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IV. DISCUSSION

1. Introduction to Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Welcome to organic chemistry laboratory! Here, the reactions that you learned in

your organic lectures and studied in your textbook will come to life. As this will be

your first college-level chemistry laboratory course, the preliminary period will cover

an introduction to general chemistry laboratory and principles.

The main goal of the laboratory course is for you to learn and carry out techniques

for the synthesis, isolation, purification, and analysis of organic compounds, thus

experiencing the experimental nature of organic chemistry. Since a face-to-face

laboratory course is not possible during this time, we will have several blended

strategies including demonstration videos, home experiments and activities, and

synchronous and asynchronous discussions. I want you to enjoy your laboratory

experience and ask you to remember that safety always comes first.

Your experimental work will consist of three parts: the pre-laboratory, the hands-on

and the post-laboratory phases

Pre-Laboratory Phase

Before starting a laboratory investigation, you have to do some preliminary studies

and planning. Just like cooking a new dish, you should read carefully the recipe! The

objective(s) for the assigned experiment or problem has to be fully understood. The

procedure to be adopted has to be carefully reviewed and outlined, giving particular

attention to potential laboratory hazards and precautionary measures. The type of

data to be gathered should be anticipated and a data table be prepared. All these

pre-laboratory preparations are essential to a smooth and safe conduct of

experiments.

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Laboratory Phase

This part involves your actual working, using chemicals, equipment, and

instruments to attain the objective of the experiment. At this instance, it is

recommended that you keenly observe what happens as you perform the

experimental procedure and immediately record all the qualitative and quantitative

observations. Likewise, you have to note down the experimental conditions. Hence,

it is in this phase where you will collect information.

Post-Laboratory Phase

A laboratory investigation does not end with the completion of the procedure and the

observation of the experimental results. After all the data have been compiled, these

should be correlated and evaluated as to their significance in the light of the

experiment. The data should be analyzed and interpreted with the objective in mind.

Here you will be expected to collate gathered data, do some graphical representations

and mathematical calculations, infer and finally draw conclusions.

2. Safety in the Laboratory

This is a brief module, but a very important one. Chemistry laboratories present more

hazards than are typically found in other science laboratories. Interestingly, the very

properties that we value in some chemicals are also what make them hazardous.

Many of the experiments you will encounter use chemicals, such as strong acids and

bases, that are dangerous if handled improperly. Some experiments use open flame

or other heat sources, and nearly all of the experiments use glassware. These are the

general chemistry laboratory safety rules

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Prepare Properly

1. Know the locations of emergency eyewashes, fire extinguishers, safety

showers, and emergency exits.

2. Never eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics while in the laboratory.

3. Refer to the chemical supplier’s hazard warning information or Material Safety

Data Sheet (MSDS) when handling a new chemical for the first time. You can

acquire MSDS of chemicals from the internet. (you can check an example of

MSDS here http://media.laballey.com/sds/Chloroform-w%20Ethanol-Safety-

Data-Sheet-SDS.pdf )

4. Familiarize yourself with the experiment by making an outline of the

experimental procedure.

Work Properly

1. Never work alone.

2. Perform no unauthorized experiments and do not distract your fellow workers;

horseplay has no place in the laboratory

3. Never use mouth suction to fill a pipette.

4. Do not smell or attempt to inhale chemicals! When you are instructed to smell

something, use your hands to waft vapors toward your face and sniff gently

(See Figure 1.1)

5. Immediately report any accident to your instructor.

6. Always wash your hands before leaving the laboratory

7. Do not use a solvent to remove a chemical from your skin. This will only hasten

the absorption of the chemical through the skin.

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 8. Do not use cell phones or tape, CD, MP3, iPods, or similar music players while

working in the laboratory.

Figure 1.1 Proper inhaling of chemicals

Dress Properly

1. Do not wear open-toed shoes; your feet must be completely covered; wear

shoes that have rubber soles and no heels or sneakers.

2. Wear gloves and aprons when handling corrosive material. In most of our

experiments, disposable nitrile gloves would suffice. Polyethylene and latex

rubber gloves are very permeable to many organic liquids. Thus, the use of

them are not permitted.

3. Always wear laboratory gowns or coat (see Figure 1.1)

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 4. Always wear eye protection. Laboratory safety glasses should be constructed

of plastic or tempered glass. If you do not have such glasses, wear goggles that

afford protection from splashes and objects coming from the side as well as

from the front. Chemical splash goggles are the preferred eye protection

(See Figure 1.2)

Figure 1.1 Basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Chemistry Laboratory

Figure 1.2 a) chemical splash goggles b) safety goggles

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Additionally, you can also watch this YouTube Videos:

Title Link QR code

Behavior / Lab https://youtu.be/e7VkIuiT1kU

Smelling chemicals https://youtu.be/wJXSLmYlvIQ

Proper Dress and https://youtu.be/GjAD83B4JaY

Chemical Hazards / https://youtu.be/8queMM7VVfw

Safe Chemical https://youtu.be/uiB8qnlZTAM

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3. Guides to Chemical Hazards

Now that you are oriented on laboratory safety, let’s dig deeper to recognize chemical

hazards. A hazard is a potential source of danger or harm. If chemical hazards go

unrecognized, unexpected events resulting in personal injury and/or property

damage can (and do) occur. Risk is a combination of the likelihood of an unwanted

incident occurring, the severity of the consequences if it occurs, and the frequency

of exposure to the hazard. The fact that a chemical might have an inherent hazard

does not mean that we cannot use it in the laboratory. However, an uncontrolled

hazard presents increased risks, which may be dangerous.

So how we can identify these hazards? Are there any guidelines? YES! The Globally

Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS),

implemented in the United States in 2012, is now used to define physical, health,

and environmental hazards for each chemical manufactured or sold in the United

States.

Only a very small fraction of the chemicals in use have been evaluated for their

potential to cause harm. Let’s look at four broad subclasses of chemical hazard:

toxicity, flammability, corrosivity, and reactivity. Some chemicals are hazardous

in only one of these ways, and some are hazardous in more than one way.

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Toxicity

A toxic substance, or toxicant, is a chemical that can cause

injury to a living organism. Often, toxic substances are

referred to as poisons, but that term has different

meanings for different people and can be misunderstood.

The way in which a chemical substance enters the body,

called the route of entry/exposure (ROE), will often determine other factors of

exposure. There are four ways in which chemicals can enter the body: inhalation,

ingestion, absorption (in case of contact with skin), and injection.

Flammability

Most flammable substances will be liquids. Some solids are

flammable but they require an ignition source. Organic

solvents represent a large class of liquids that you will work

with, especially in organic chemistry laboratories. The

common flammable organic solvents are acetone, hexane,

methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile. Beware that flammable liquid itself cannot burn;

it is the vapor or the gaseous form from the liquid that burns. All flammable liquids

and solids must be kept away from oxidizers and from inadvertent contact with

ignition sources, such as hot plates in hood.

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Corrosivity

Corrosion is the gradual destruction resulting from the action

of a chemical on metal or living tissue. All strong acids, strong

bases, some weak acids, some weak bases and some slightly

soluble bases are corrosive. You should always wear chemical

splash goggles when handling corrosives.

When it comes to acids, ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER. You can remember this by

keeping in mind: A is the first letter of the alphabet, and A for acid you will add it first.

The addition of acid to water must be slowly and gently while you are stirring the

receiving water vessel. The strong acids you may encounter in the laboratory are

hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

On the other hand, the most common bases are alkali metal hydroxides like sodium

hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. They are all corrosive and can cause serious,

destructive chemical burns, including blindness if splashed into the eyes. Aqueous

solution of ammonia or ammonium hydroxide is a weak base. The vapors of aqueous

solutions of ammonia are irritating and toxic. Aqueous solutions of ammonia are

particularly damaging to the eyes.

Reactivity

Chemicals have the ability to react with other chemicals and transform into new

substances. This is the basis of all chemical experimentation. Reactivity in and of

itself is not necessarily a concern, but uncontrolled reactivity is a big concern.

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One large class of reactive chemicals that you are likely to encounter, even in your

first chemistry laboratories, are those classified as oxidizers. As you learn about

chemistry, you will be required to learn nomenclature – the language of chemistry.

Many chemicals in this class have names that end in “ate”, “ite”, or “ic”, or begin with

“per”. This is only a broad characterization and should not be taken as a certainty.

The hazard categories are communicated to the user through pictograms, hazard

statements, precautionary statements, and signal words. The GHS Pictogram and

Hazards are shown in Figure 1.2. Hazard categories are especially helpful in

assessing the relative risks of hazards.

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 Figure 1.2 GHS Pictogram of Hazards

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V. Perfomance Task 1: Guide questions

Answer TRUE or FALSE for the ff statements. You may do it in MS word and save it
as a PDF file. Alternatively, you can write your answers in a yellow pad and take a
photo using a scanner app and upload to our Google classroom folder Lab Module 1:
Performance Task 1.

_____1. I can work alone in the laboratory.

_____2. I can eat snacks in lab provided that I will share it to my instructors

_____3. I should know where are the fire exits

_____4. Disposable nitrile gloves should be used as part of PPE

_____5. A chemical may be flammable and toxic, or both.

_____6. When you see a corrosive label, you will wear safety goggles.

_____7. Nitric acid is a weak acid

_____8. I added hydrochloric acid gently to a beaker of distilled water.

_____9. Chloroform, shown below, is an oxidizer

____10. Chloroform could be an irritant

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