Different glassware. Fewer lab mistakes.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference. And this is one of those little things!
There are often chemistry labs that require a number of different reactants that should be used in a particular order. In my lab, because I have relatively small class size, I often mix up reactants in a couple of beakers or flasks and then the lab groups will pass them from one station to the next.
And then the questions start coming. Mr. Koch, where is the … As they expect me to know where each of the chemicals are at that exact moment. And then once they do find it, the next question is “Mr. Koch, where does this go?”
My answer to the second question is what do the instructions say? Shockingly (to them) the instructions do actually prescribe when and where to put things.
But here is today’s tip to make it even more obvious.
Use different glassware for different reactants.
Using different glassware for each reactant helps you to be able to track where each chemical is in the classroom as well as the students recognizing what to do with each one.
For example, yesterday I was doing a microscale lab in 96-well plates. In the rows, they needed to add 0.25 mL of solutions from various alkaline earth metal nitrates. In the columns they needed to add 1 drop of various other reactants.
I explained on the lab map at the start of lab that it was 0.25 mL across and 1 drop down. And then to match that pattern, the 0.25 mL chemicals are stored in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks. But the 1 drop chemicals are stored in 100 mL beakers.
This distinction allowed me to scan around the room and know where each chemical was by simply glancing. It reinforced to them which row or column they should be filling. The number of mistakes was seriously reduced. The number of lab groups that said, “Oh we did a different organization in our plate” went down. (That statement decoded means we screwed up and now have to figure out how to rescue the work we already started.)
It would have been so easy to put all the reactants (we had 8) in the same containers. But I would have lost the benefits.
I frequently have labs that follow the pattern of discover the basic reactivity and then apply the pattern to an unknown to discover what it is. This is a great pattern for labs, but often the students will get ahold of the unknown during the first phase and ask where to react it.
Pro Tip: If you use a cart or shelving system, store the unknown on the bottom shelf until it is time to use it. It keeps it out of sight and mind, which makes the second half of the lab more efficient.
What a simple plan. Use different containers for different chemicals and watch what a difference it makes in your lab efficiency.
Today is the day (10/23) for the Mole Day Sale! It is the biggest sale of the year. 23% off all games for the 12 hours only. Of course the sale runs from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm. Check out our award-winning games at the lowest price of the year.
Comments