Department of Applied Chemistry

Standard Operating Procedure for Laboratory

1. First of all, open all ventilators/windows and switch on exhaust fans while entering the laboratory to evacuate any gas or vapours gathered during the off-time of the laboratory.

2. Make sure you know where your lab's safety equipment—including first aid kit(s), fire extinguishers are located and how to use it properly.

3. Know emergency phone numbers to use to call for help in case of an emergency.

4. Make sure you are aware of where your lab's exits and fire alarms are located.

5. Always work in properly ventilated areas.

6. Never use lab equipment that you are not approved or trained by your teacher or lab technician to operate.

7. Use glassware and other tools with proper care and attention.

8. Never leave an ongoing experiment unattended.

9. Each time you use glassware, be sure to check it for chip and crack. Notify your lab supervisor of any damaged glassware so it can be appropriately disposed off.

10. Open flames should never be used in the laboratory unless you have permission from a qualified supervisor.

11. Do not chew gum, drink, or eat while working in the lab.

12. Laboratory glassware should never be utilized as food or beverage containers.

13. Never lift any glassware, solutions, or other types of apparatus above eye level

14. Never smell or taste chemicals without permission/instruction.

15. Keep the reagents in their proper place after use. Do not alter their position.

16. Do not contaminate the reagents.

17. Do not throw any waste paper, litmus paper etc., into the sink. Use dustbin.

18. Do not pipette by mouth.

19. Report all injuries, accidents, and broken equipment or glass right away, even if the incident seems small or unimportant.

20. If you have been injured, yell out immediately and as loud as possible to ensure you get help.

21. Never use any equipment without proper supervision of lab technician or teacher.

22. If you notice any unsafe conditions in the lab, let your teacher or lab technician know as soon as possible.

23. If an instrument or piece of equipment fails during use or isn't operating properly, report the issue to a technician right away. Never try to repair an equipment problem on your own.

24. If you are the last person to leave the lab, make sure to lock all the doors and turn off all ignition sources.

Laboratory Housekeeping Rules

Laboratory housekeeping rules also apply to most facilities and deal with the basic upkeep, tidiness, and maintenance of a safe laboratory.

1. Always keep your work area(s) tidy and clean.

2. Only materials you require for your work should be kept in your work area. Everything else should be stored safely out of the way.

3. Only lightweight items should be stored on top of cabinets; heavier items should always be kept at the bottom.

4. Solids should always be kept out of the laboratory sink.

5. Any equipment that requires airflow or ventilation to prevent overheating should always be kept clear.

Personal Protection Safety Rules

1. When working with equipment, hazardous materials, glassware, heat, and/or chemicals, always wear face shields or safety glasses.

2. When handling any toxic or hazardous agent, always wear the appropriate gloves.

3. When performing laboratory experiments, you should always wear a smock or lab coat.

4. Before leaving the lab or eating, always wash your hands.

5. After performing an experiment, you should always wash your hands with soap and water.

6. When using lab equipment and chemicals, be sure to keep your hands away from your body, mouth, eyes, and face.

Chemical Safety Rules

Since almost every lab uses chemicals of some sort, chemical safety rules are a must. Following these policies helps employees avoid spills and other accidents and damage to the environment outside of the lab. These rules also set a straightforward procedure for employees if a spill occurs to ensure it is cleaned up properly and injuries are avoided.

1. Every chemical should be treated as though it were dangerous.

2. Do not allow any solvent to come into contact with your skin.

3. Each chemical should be clearly labelled with the name, its concentration and other relevant information. Before removing any of the contents from a chemical bottle, read the label twice.

4. Never take more chemicals from a bottle than you need for your work.

5. Do not put unused chemicals back into their original container.

6. Chemicals or other materials should never be taken out of the laboratory.

7. Chemicals should never be mixed in sink drains.

8. Flammable and volatile chemicals should only be used in a fume hood.

9. If a chemical spill occurs, clean it up right away.

10. Ensure that all chemical waste is disposed of properly.

Chemistry Lab Safety Rules

1. Before you start an experiment, make sure you are fully aware of the hazards of the material you'll be using.

2. When refluxing, distilling, or transferring volatile liquids, always exercise extreme caution.

3. Always pour chemicals from large containers to smaller ones.

4. Never pour chemicals that have been used back into the stock container.

5. Never tap flasks that are under vacuum.

6. Chemicals should never be mixed, measured, or heated in front of your face.

7. Water should not be poured into concentrated acid. Instead, pour acid slowly into the water while stirring constantly. In many cases, mixing acid with water is exothermic.

Electrical Safety Rules

1. Before using any high voltage equipment, make sure you get permission from your lab technician.

2. Always turn off a high voltage power supply when you are attaching it.

3. Make sure all electrical panels are unobstructed and easily accessible.

4. Use only one hand if you need to adjust any high voltage equipment. It's safest to place your other hand either behind your back or in a pocket.

5. Whenever you can, avoid using extension cords.

Instructions for Volumetric Analysis

BURETTE

1. Wash the burette with tap water and then rinse with distilled water

2. Rinse burette with a small quantity of the solution to be taken in the burette and discard the solution into the sink

3. Fill the burette with the solution using a small funnel that has already been washed with tap water, rinsed with distilled water and then with the solution.

4. Ensure that the nozzle of the burette is filled with the solution.

5. Remove the funnel from the burette.

6. Record the initial & final readings correctly.

7. See that the level of the burette solution is at your eye level to avoid parallax error (Similarly for pipette also).

8. During the addition of the solution from the burette, the conical flask must be constantly swirled with one hand while the other hand controls the stop cock of the burette.

PIPETTE

1. Wash pipette with tap water and then rinse with distilled water.

2. Rinse pipette with a small quantity of solution to be taken in the pipette and discard the same into the sink.

3. During transferring solution into a clean conical flask, when all the solution from the pipette flows out, touch the tip of the pipette to the bottom of the flask gently.

4. Do not blow out the last drops of the liquid from the pipette.

CONICAL FLASK

1. Wash the conical flask with tap water and then rinse with distilled water.

2. Do not rinse the conical flask with the solution to be taken in the conical flask

4. During the titration, place the conical flask right below the burette.

Utilization and Maintenance of Instrumentation Laboratory

1. To access the facility of FTIR spectrometer, the user has to apply through the prescribed form available in the instrumentation laboratory.

2. To access the facilities of Autolab potentiostat/galvanostat, BET surface area analyzer and UV-Visible spectrophotometer, the user has to contact the laboratory in-charge and get pre-booking in log book for time allotment.