Basic Organic Chemistry Techniques

Here, we show the laboratory preparation for 10 students working in pairs, with some excess. Please adjust quantities as needed.

• To set up for this lab experiment, wear the appropriate personal protective equipment, including a lab coat, chemical splash goggles, and gloves.
• Ensure that there are labeled waste containers for non-halogenated organic waste, hydrochloric acid waste, aqueous waste, and glass waste.
• Place a container of sodium benzoate and a small waste container for excess sodium benzoate by the balances.
• Ensure that the balances have enough weighing boats, spatulas, and lab wipes for the class.
• In a fume hood, place 150 mL of tetrahydrofuran in a 250-mL glass bottle. Cap the bottle and label it ‘tetrahydrofuran’.
• Carefully place 35 mL of 3 M hydrochloric acid in three 50-mL glass bottles. Cap the bottles and label them with the solution's name and concentration.
• Place these bottles of THF and HCl in a central hood and put away the stock bottles.
• Set out the following glassware and equipment at each student lab station (we suggest that students work in pairs):

  2    Lab stands

  1    Stirring hotplate

  1    Lab jack

  1    Small thermometer clamp

  3    Medium 3-prong clamp

  1    Condenser

  2    Rubber tubing

  2    Vacuum tubing

  3    50-mL beaker

  2    250-mL beaker

  1    600-mL beaker

  1    5-mL graduated cylinder

  1    10-mL graduated cylinder

  1    50-mL graduated cylinder

  1    250-mL filter flask

  1    50-mL round-bottom flask with cork holder

  1    Büchner funnel with rubber adaptor

  2    Pasteur pipette bulbs

  1    Stir bar

  1    Glass stirring rod

  1    Roll of lab tape with pen

  1    Thermometer

• Fill plastic wash bottles with deionized water and distribute them around the lab. Set out a tube of vacuum grease and boxes of circular filter papers, laboratory wipes, and Pasteur pipettes in a central location.