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| While reading a text book of chemistry, I came upon the statement, "nitric acid acts upon copper." I was getting tired of reading such absurd stuff and I determined to see what this meant. Copper was more or less familiar to me, for copper cents were then in use. I had seen a bottle marked "nitric acid" on a table in the doctors office where I was then 'doing time'! I did not know its peculiarities, but I was getting on and likely to learn. The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words "act upon" meant. Then the statement "nitric acid acts upon copper", would be something more than mere words. All was still. In the interest of knowledge I was even willing to sacrifice one of the few copper cents then in my possession. I put one of them on the table; opened the bottle marked "nitric acid"; poured ome of the liquid on the copper; and prepared to make an observation. But what was this wonderful thing which I beheld? The cent was already changed, and it was no small change either. A greenish blue liquid foamed and fumed over the cent and over the table. The air in the neighborhood of the performance became colored dark red. A great cloud arose: This was disagreeable and suffocating--how should I stop this? I tried to get rid of the objectionable mess by picking it up and throwing it out the window, which I had meanwhile opened. I learned another fact--nitric acid not only acts upon copper but it acts upon fingers. The pain led to another unpremeditated experiment. I drew my fingers across my trousers and another fact was discovered. Nitric acid acts upon trousers. Taking everything into consideration, that was the most impressive experiment, and, relatively, probably the most costly experiment I have ever performed. I tell of it even now with interest. It was a revelation to me. It resulted in a desire on my part to learn more about that remarkable kind of action. Plainly the only way to learn about it was to see its results, to experiment, to work in a laboratory. -- Ira Remsen (1846-1927) |
Chem. TA.: Dr. Natasha Williams, Office 214
Phone: 947-8267
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment
Welcome to the CMC Chemistry lab. It is my hope that you find your time here not only challenging, but also rewarding and fun. The policies described below are designed to keep everyone safe and sane, so please read them carefully.
SAFETY: Safety is the number one priority in the Chem Lab. All the safety requirements listed here will be strictly enforced during all lab sessions. If either the Lab Tech or the Professor observes you violating any of these rules, you will be warned once and only once. A second violation during any lab period will result in your grade for that lab being dropped one full letter grade. A third violation will result in your dismissal from the lab and a grade of "zero"( 0) for that lab. These rules apply the minute you step into the lab room without exception.
1 SAFETY GOGGLES: Safety goggles are the single most important safety apparatus in the lab. They must be worn at all times when performing lab work
2. CLOTHING: Old clothing is recommended for lab wear. One spill of even dilute acid on those nice designer jeans spells doom. Pants or skirts that extend below the knee are OK. Shorts, or short skirts are not recommended. Always wear closed shoes. Sandals are not recommended, nor are high heels.
3. HAIR: Confine long hair. Bunsen burners are very hot, and can ignite hair instantaneously at close range.
4. CHEMICAL CONTACT: Anytime chemicals come into contact with your skin, immediately wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water. Use the eye wash to flush chemicals from the eyes or face. If you are the victim of a large spill, immediately move to the safety shower and flush the affected area for at least 5 minutes. Always report any chemical contact to the Lab Tech or Professor, no matter how seemingly minor!
5. INJURIES: Always report any accident or injury to the Lab Tech or Professor, no matter how seemingly minor it is
6. FOOD AND DRINK: Food and drink are not permitted in the lab
room at any time during the lab. If you get hungry or thirsty, take
a break, wash your hands, and leave the lab room.
7. CARELESSNESS: We all make mistakes, but deliberate "horseplay" or other blatantly careless or reckless acts are unacceptable. Any reckless behavior will result in the participants receiving a 0 for that lab period. Repeated offenses will be grounds for dismissal from the class.
8. AWARENESS: Be as cautious as possible when moving around the lab area. Keep an eye open for classmates, and let them know where you are if you are passing by them. Move slowly, and give others a chance to react to you. Unexpected collisions are a major cause of accidents.
9. QUESTIONS: During the course of the lab we will be performing some complex operations. Anytime YOU have even the slightest uncertainty about a procedure or safety technique, DON'T JUST PLUNGE AHEAD! Ask the Lab Tech or Professor.
10. TECHNIQUES: A packet describing in detail all the lab techniques you will need to perform your labs will be provided to you. Familiarize yourself with it, and keep it handy during labs. Failure to properly apply good lab methods can result in faulty data and serious injury.
LAB REPORTS: Lab reports are due two weeks from the date you complete the lab. For each week the lab write up is late, the grade will be dropped one full letter. No reports will be accepted later than two weeks beyond the due date.
Typing is required.
Missed labs must be made up within two weeks of the lab date. Failure to make up a lab in the required amount of time will result in a 0 for that lab.
CLEANLINESS: A clean workspace and equipment are essential for the collection of good experimental data. Organize your workspace efficiently, label any chemicals or solutions you bring to your workbench with you, and clean things up at the end of lab.
Unless otherwise specified, YOU are responsible for the cleanliness of your equipment and station Neglect of this responsibility will result in the deduction of points from your report in proportion to the offense.
PARTICIPATION: Participation is the name of the game in lab. For some labs you may be working in groups. Everybody needs to contribute. Anybody who is content to kick back and let the other group members do the lion's share of the work will see that lack of effort reflected in their grade. You are paying for this experience, so dive in, have fun, and get the most you can out of it!
A WORD ABOUT DEIONIZED WATER: Water will play an important role in most of the experiments you will perform in lab. In order to assure good results and total cleanliness, always use deionized water, which is provided in several jugs around the room. Straight tap water often can contain salts and ions that can interfere with your experiments and leave a gritty "hard water" residue on glassware.
PROMPTNESS: Please be considerate of both the teachers and your fellow
students by being on time for class. Labs will start promptly at the designated
time, so if you are late it is your responsibility to catch up with what
you missed rather than the instructor's responsibility to repeat the lecture.
If you are going to miss a lab period, try whenever possible to let the
instructor know ahead of time so we can schedule a make up time.
All contents copyrighted (c) 1998
Peter Jeschofnig, Ph.D., Professor of Science, Colorado Mountain College
All Rights reserved
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