Learning to use the measuring devices used in a chemistry lab

Lab Table 1: Determine the volume in milliliters (mL) of liquid that has been removed from one of these glass burets if the buret originally was filled to the 0.00 mL mark. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook. Be sure to indicate in your lab notebook which buret you used.

Draw an illustration of and label the buret in your lab notebook. Labels should identify the buret, the buret clamp, and the ring stand.

Draw an illustration of the meniscus and write a short explanation next to this drawing of how you should determine the volume when a meniscus is present.

DO NOT TURN THE STOPCOCK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BURET.

Step 1 determine where the 0.00 mark is.

Step 2 determine where the bottom of the meniscus is.

Step 3 determine the amount of liquid that was dispensed (removed).

Lab Table 2: Determine the volume in milliliters (mL) of liquid that remains in 1 of the 2 graduated cylinders. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook. Be sure to indicate in your lab notebook which graduated cylinder you used.

Draw an illustration of and label the graduated cylinder illustration in your lab notebook. Labels should identify the graduated cylinder, the graduated cylinder bumper ring, and where on the graduated cylinder the units of measurement are found.

Draw an illustration of the meniscus and write a short explanation next to this drawing of how you should determine the volume when a meniscus is present.

Step 2 determine where the bottom of the meniscus is.

Step 3 determine the amount of liquid that is in the graduated cylinder.

Lab Table 3: Determine the density of one of the objects in the plastic cups using the devices on the lab table of one of these rubber stoppers using one of these triple beam balances. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook being sure to indicate which object (by number and description). Be sure to indicate in your lab notebook which set of devices and which object you used.

Note: density is mass per unit volume. Therefore, you must determine the mass and the volume. A unit of volume is one of the measurement units being used. So if you are measuring the dimension of volume in the units called milliliters (mL), then a unit of volume is 1 milliliter (or 1 mL). Example: If the mass is 15.5 g and the volume is 57.0 mL, then the density is:

BE SURE TO LEAVE EVERYTHING THE WAY THAT YOU FOUND IT FOR THE NEXT STUDENT. The object goes back into the cup, and must be dry, and the slides on the balance must be placed back on the left side.

Lab Table 4: Determine the mass in grams of one of these rubber stoppers using one of these digital balances. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook. Be sure to record in your lab notebook which balance you used.

Step 1 tare the balance. Tarring means pressing the start button a 2^nd time to make sure that the balance read 0.00 grams when nothing in on the balance pan.

Step 2 make sure that the balance is set to measure the object in the correct units. We measure everything in the metric system and mass in the metric system is usually measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg).

Step 3 when you are finished, remove the stopper from the balance pan and turn off the balance before the next student starts their measurements.

Lab Table 5: Determine the mass in grams of one of the rubber stoppers using one of these triple beam balances. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook. Be sure to record in your lab notebook which balance you used.

Step 1 tare the balance. Tarring is the process of making sure that the mark on the end of the balance beam lines up perfectly to the mark adjacent to it on the balance body.

Step 4 when you are finished, untare the balance (give the taring knob a spin with your fingers).

Lab Table 6: Determine the temperature of the water in one of the Erlenmeyer flasks. Record this measurement in black or blue ink in a table in your laboratory notebook. Be sure to indicate in your lab notebook which thermometer, Erlenmeyer flask, and hotplate you used.

Draw an illustration of the Erlenmeyer flask in your lab notebook and label it Erlenmeyer flask.

Draw an illustration of that part of the thermometer around the point to which the alcohol has risen (the point where the red liquid comes to).

Write an explanation in black or blue ink, in your lab notebook, for how you determined the correct number of significant figures for this measurement.

Step 1 hold the bulb of the thermometer in the water without letting it touch the sides or bottom of the Erlenmeyer flask. Hold the thermometer in the water until the red alcohol stops moving.

Step 2 determine the temperature to the correct number of significant digits and record this in your table in your notebook.

Step 3 remove the thermometer, rinse it off using the sink on the lap table, dry it off, and place it on a paper towel beside to the hotplate that you used.