Lab Techniques & Safety: Crash Course Chemistry #21

Hank takes a break from the desk to bring you to the lab in order to demonstrate some important points about the practical side of chemistry - experimentation in the laboratory. You'll learn what to wear in the lab, how to dispose of chemicals safely, how to avoid the most common accidents, how to pour solutions properly, what the HazMat diamond means, what an MSDS is, and how to use a fume hood. And as a reward for sticking with him through this maybe less-than-thrilling lecture, you'll see Hank subject himself to an exciting piece of safety apparatus.

Pssst... we made flashcards to help you review the content in this episode! Find them on the free Crash Course App!

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Table of Contents
Proper Lab Attire 0:51
Disposing Chemicals Safely 6:30
Avoiding Common Lab Accidents 5:40
Proper Pouring 5:19
Hazmat Diamond 2:26
MSDS 3:05
How to use Fume Hoods 3:38

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[crashcourse]

Pssst... we made flashcards to help you review the content in this episode! Find them on the free Crash Course App! 

[NMdICRST]

I always wanted to see one of those showers in action.

[ryanitlab]

I've watched a lot of Hank Green videos. 
A lot. 

And I've never seen him so happy or so excited as when talking about lab safety. 

Like so many videos. 

[jasonslade]

Small note, if you do happen to need to pour something slowly, don't hesitate to use a glass rod to help you in not dribbling it down the side of the container.

Put the glass rod in the thing you are pouring into and pour the liquid down the side of the glass rod and it will guide the liquid where it needs to go, overcoming the surface tension in the process. Particularly good for liquids that adhere to glass, like Water and anything dissolved in that water.

[tanyay]

I once dropped a crucible full of some chemical that was reacting in it (I have a really shaky grip) and it burnt a hole through the table.
My Chem teacher started calling me 'Danger Girl' after that 😭

[syntacticalcrab]

Also, WHY IS THE EMERGENCY SHOWER NEXT TO A BUNCH OF PLUGGED IN ELECTRONICS?! o.O

[minnarion]

I remember watching this a few years back and now as a chemistry major I still go back to this video every now and then to tell people about the broken pipette/rod type of injury. Thank you so much for making this. :)
Don't know if anyone is reading this, but here's another tip- never dilute concentrated aqueous acid by simply adding water to it! Instead, add water to your beaker (or whatever type of equipment you're using) first and THEN pipette the acid into it. Otherwise, the first few droplets of water might react and heat up very quickly and end up splashing and causing burns. Be safe and stay curious!

[missmaryypotter]

This is so much better than that 80s safety video

[robgilmore]

My fondest memory in chem lab was getting concentrated hydrochloric acid on my shoe and it burning a hole into it in 3 minutes.  Luckily my teacher used it as an example and gave me the money to buy a new pair :P

[misha]

We watched this in Science Lab, and I shouted, "OMG HANK GREEN!" and no one knew what I was talking about!

[lennyxxx]

So I was sitting in my (usually) boring lab safety class and the teacher says that she is going to show a video with a weird man explaining lab safety... my toughts: 'Ughhh here we go'. Then I see the beginning of the video. Wait? wait? wait! That's Hank Green!! :D. That made my day.

[ColonialFungus]

My had a lab accident in regards to disposing what I think was Benzilic acid, or some other fatty acid. The instructions for the lab were poorly worded so we prematurely percieved that we needed a new acid to work with. However, (and you can tell we were geinuses when you see the next part of my story and know that the experiment was specifically concerning boiling point elevation and freezing point depressions with solutions), we disposed of it improperly in the sink and Benzilic acid has a melting point above 100 degrees Celsius and we, not remembering this kind of important aspect of the acid, poured it into the sink and turned on the water. was the sound of the acid immediately solidifying on the entire bottom part of the sink, and *slap* was the sound of our hands into our own faces at the realization of what we had just done and the realization of how annoying it was going to be to clean up. It made for a very funny story to tell as y'all can see.

[ws]

8:09 THE CHEMISTS' WATER BUCKET CHALLENGE

[PikaPetey]

i love your potter puppet pals t-shirt

[domsusefulstuff]

This has changed the way I pour EVERYTHING. Thank you!

[saintxio]

We actually watched your video during chem lab here at Chattanooga State! Finally a replacement for 1980s lab safety VHS tapes!

[syntacticalcrab]

This is the best lab safety video ever. Also, adorably nerdy.

[FlattheFace]

the entire time
in chemistry this year
i always wondered
what does the emergency wash look like when it is turned on

thank you hank

[delaneypollard]

Why oh why can't they show this in schools instead of the ridiculous video they show now?

[Nmethyltransferase]

The only lab injury I've ever had was from sheer stupidity. It was in undergrad gen chem. My lab period was ending and I was in a hurry to dry my glassware. To get one of the test tubes totally dry, I used a rolled up paper towel and shoved it in with a glass stirring rod... Yeah, there was a fair bit of bleeding. The most memorable part is that once I ran to the infirmary, the nurses ended up pouring liquid Tylenol all over my hand! On the plus side, she looked at the wound under magnification and apparently, there were no glass shards in there. Good times...