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Ensure that the lab has labeled waste containers for silica gel and glass.
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Fill a plastic wash bottle with acetone and set it by the organic waste container. This is for students or teaching assistants, who will clean the columns after the lab.
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Place a container of silica gel powder, a container of sand, a box of laboratory wipes, several clean spatulas, and enough weighing boats for each student group by a calibrated balance in a well-ventilated area.
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Place a bottle of 95% ethanol in a nearby hood. Then, make sure that the stopcocks for the columns fit securely but still turn easily.
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Close the stopcocks after testing them and distribute the columns to the benchtop workspaces.
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Make sure that each workspace has a lab stand or a scaffold and an appropriate clamp for the column being used.
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Set out the following glassware and equipment at each student lab station (we suggest that students work in pairs):
5 50-mL beakers |
1 100-mL beaker |
1 5- or 10-mL graduated cylinder |
2 50-mL graduated cylinders |
2 Small powder funnels |
1 Glass stirring rod |
1 Roll of laboratory tape |
1 Marking pen |
1 Ruler |
2 Pipette bulbs |
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Lastly, place glass or cotton wool, at least one long, blunt-ended metal or wooden rod, and a box of Pasteur pipettes in the central area with the dye solution.