Essentials of Practical Biochemistry Prem Prakash Gupta, Neelu Gupta
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Instructions to StudentsChapter 1

  • Students shall work only on their allotted seats during practical classes. While working in laboratory, each student should be in apron with nameplate. Never work alone in practical laboratory.
  • Before coming to practical classes, every student shall bring his/her own permanent glass marker pen, duster, notebook, hand-gloves, and practical manual.
  • All glassware to be used should be rinsed with distilled water before performing the practical exercise.
  • Do not displace the reagent bottles and instruments from their assigned places.
  • If the large bottles and beakers, containing solutions/reagents, are heavy in weight, never carry the bottles by holding the neck and the glass-beakers with the help of fingers. Hold them within the grip of both hands, while carrying them from one place to other.
  • Keep your practical table neat, clean, and free of unwanted reagents and glassware.
  • While working, do not interchange the stoppers, pipettes and droppers of reagent and sample bottles.
  • Do not eat, smoke, or drink in practical laboratory. Do not store drinking water and edibles in refrigerator used for keeping reagents, biological samples (urine, blood, etc.), etc.
  • Do not touch, taste, or smell any chemical, reagent, and solution.
  • Do not waste chemicals/reagents.
  • Always use a test tube holder for heating the test tube. While boiling/heating the liquids/test samples in test tubes, make sure that the boiling solution does not bump out of the test tube and harm your neighbor classmates.
  • Do not light the burner/spirit lamp while using inflammable liquids/reagents/chemicals such as alcohol, ether, benzene, toluene, etc. Always keep inflammable liquids/reagents/chemicals away from burner/spirit lamp.
  • Light the spirit lamp carefully using only matchbox. Do not throw the burning matchstick into the dustbin.
  • If any student requires any kind of laboratory items such as glassware, reagents, chemicals, apparatus, etc., he/she should ask to the teacher-in-charge/demonstrator/lab technician.
  • In case of any kind of breakage/damage/accident, report immediately to the teacher-incharge/demonstrator/lab technician and ask for treatment.
  • Concentrated/strong acids (H2SO4, HCl, etc.), strong alkalies (KOH, NaOH, etc.) and other corrosive, toxic and poisonous reagents should be used carefully. Never suck 2them by mouth. For dispensing such reagents/chemicals, always use autopipettes or glass pipettes with pipette pumps.
  • Always, dilute strong acids (H2SO4, HCl, etc.) by pouring the acid into water. For dilution of acids, never pour water into acids.
  • All reagents bottles must be properly labeled and should be marked- ‘harmful’ or ‘poisonous’ or ‘toxic’ if they contain any corrosive, toxic or poisonous or hazardous chemical. These chemicals must be used carefully. Do not suck them by mouth. For dispensing such reagents/chemicals, always use autopipettes or glass pipettes with pipette pumps.
  • Avoid a long exposure to vapors of toxic organic solvents like benzene, carbon tetrachloride, toluene, etc. Exposure to toxic/hazardous chemical may cause damage to liver, kidney, bone marrow, eyes, etc., e.g. exposure to carbon tetrachloride may damage liver.
  • Always ensure the availability of 5% and 2% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate, 5% acetic acid, aqueous solution of boric acid and a First-Aid box in laboratory.
In case of acid burns on skin, firstly wash it with plenty of water and then put on it cotton swab soaked in 5% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate. After some time, dry the affected area of skin gently with cotton, then apply an antiseptic cream and consult the doctor as soon as possible. In case of accidental swallowing of an acid while pipetting, ask the affected person to drink egg white of two eggs mixed in about 500 ml of water or 500 ml of cold milk or simply cold water. Ask to rinse the mouth with plenty of cold water and then with 2% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate and in the meantime call a doctor or go to hospital. In case, the eye comes in contact with an acid, firstly wash it with plenty of water and then put 2-4 drops of 2% aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate in eye and keep it continuing till an eye specialist is consulted.
In case of alkali burns on skin, firstly wash it with plenty of water and then put on it cotton swab soaked in 5% acetic acid. After some time, dry the affected area of skin gently with cotton, then apply an antiseptic cream and consult the doctor as soon as possible. In case of accidental swallowing of an alkali, ask the affected person to drink diluted vinegar (1 part vinegar and 3 parts water) or lemon juice or simply 500–1000 ml of cold water. Ask to rinse the mouth with plenty of cold water and then with 5% acetic acid and in the meantime call a doctor or go the hospital. In case, the eye comes in contact with an alkali, firstly wash it with plenty of water, then with aqueous solution of boric acid and consult an eye specialist as soon as possible.
In case of minor heat burns on skin, pour the cold/ice water on affected area or put the affected part in cold/ice water or apply gently the ice-cubes on affected area till the burning becomes tolerable and then apply any heat-burn cream like Burnol and consult the doctor for treatment. In case of severe heat-burns, carry the victim to the hospital immediately.
In case of accidental swallowing of a poisonous solution/substance, carry the victim to the hospital immediately. Always tell the name of poisonous chemical to the treating doctor, since it will help the doctor in treatment of victim.
In case of contact with infectious sample, immediately wash your hands vigorously with soap, then with 70% alcohol and then use sanitizer and consult your doctor. A medical/dental/paramedical student or lab technician must be vaccinated with all available vaccines.
  • 3Wash your hands with soap after performing each practical exercise. After finishing the practical exercise, clean the used glassware with tap water. Throw the used filter papers, broken glassware, match-sticks, litmus paper, etc. in black bags in dustbin. Do not throw them in washbasin. Put biomedical wastes like blood, gloves, cotton swabs, urine sample, etc. in yellow bags for incinerator.
  • Use hand-gloves while working with any body fluid like urine, blood, saliva, CSF, etc. Wash your hands properly with soap after working on biological samples and then use sanitizer. The surface of the working table should be decontaminated every time after completing the exercise by using freshly prepared 1% sodium hypochlorite solution, whereas the used equipment can be decontaminated by using freshly prepared 0.1% sodium hypochlorite solution.
  • After performing the practical exercise write the observations in practical manual and show them to teacher-in-charge on the same day.
  • Follow all the safety measures told to you by your teacher time to time. Always pay complete attention to teacher’s instructions before starting the practical exercise.