HOW TO ORDER CHEMICALS

Before you call or place your order online, ensure you have the following information ready:

• Chemical name
• Concentration
• Chemical grade
• Volume
• Type of container you would like it in (if you have a choice of container)

GRADES OF CHEMICALS

The chemical grade indicates how pure the chemical is. The more impurities, metals or water in the chemical, the lower the grade. Manufacturing pure chemicals can be time consuming and expensive, therefore high grade chemicals are typically more expensive.

MOST COMMON GRADES

Technical: used for general commercial or industrial purposes. Contains impurities.

Laboratory: pure enough for educational purposes and general lab applications. Not suitable for use in food or pharmaceuticals. Relatively high purity, but may contain small amounts of impurities.

Practical: chemicals of good quality where no official standards are present. Suitable for general applications. May contain small amounts of isomers.

HPLC: for standard chromatography requirements in HPLC and spectrophotometry.

Reagent: highest quality commercially available for that particular chemical. The American Chemical Society has not officially set any specifications for that material.

Reagent ACS: ideal for all scientific and manufacturing needs. Highest purity available for laboratory use. Meets or exceeds standards set by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

CONCENTRATION: What is % v/v, w/v and w/w?

% v/v: % volume per volume: used where chemicals are liquids

% weight per volume: used where a solid chemical is dissolved in liquid

% weight per weight: used where the weight of each chemical is used and not the volume

MOLARITY vs. MOLALITY: What is the difference?

Molarity — M = moles per solution
Molality — m = moles per kilogram solvent

Molarity and molality are measures of concentration. Molarity is the number of moles of chemical per liter of solution. Solutions labelled with the molar concentration use the capital letter M (for example, 1.0M solution contains 1 mole of solute per liter of solution). The higher the number molarity, the stronger the solution (6M HCl is a stronger acid than 1M HCl).

Molality is the number of moles of solute per kilogram of solvent. It is important to note the mass of solvent is used and not the mass of the solution. Solutions labelled with molal concentration use the lower case m (for example, 1.0m solution contains 1 mole of solute per kilogram of solvent).

CHEMICAL SAFETY GUIDELINES:

Chemical safety in the laboratory is extremely important. This list of safety guidelines will ensure good practices and safe working conditions to prevent injury and accidents:

• Maintain an organized workspace.
• Communicate hazards to everyone in the lab.
• Be prepared for accidents and emergencies. Ensure your lab has the necessary emergency plan and emergency equipment in working order (ex. Eyewash station solutions are not expired, safety showers are working, etc).
• Follow workplace procedures.
• Develop an attitude of safety awareness.
• Review and understand hazards before using a chemical (MSDSs).
• Pay attention to what you are doing and what you are working with.
• Identify chemicals before use. Label all containers with chemical content.
• Wear appropriate protecting clothing and equipment according to your application (gloves, glasses, goggles, aprons, boots, and/or lab coats).
• Maintain and use required safety equipment — fume hoods, safety showers, eyewash stations, spill kits, etc.
• Avoid direct contact with any chemical. If you become contaminated by a chemical, shower or wash the skin areas exposed. Change contaminated clothing.
• Keep your hands and face clean. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling any chemical and whenever leaving the lab.
• Never smell, intentionally inhale or taste a chemical.
• Do not smoke, drink or eat in areas where hazardous chemicals are used or stored.
• Always use adequate ventilation when using chemicals. Refer to the MSDS for ventilation requirements. Ensure you have an emergency plan in place in the event or ventilation failure.
• Only use chemicals as directed and for their intended purpose.
• Inspect equipment or apparatus for damage before adding a hazardous chemical.
• Never use mouth suction to fill a pipette.
• Dispose of chemical waste promptly and according to guidelines. Disposals must be properly neutralized.