1st Term A.Y.

2022 - 2023
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INORGANIC AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Laboratory Activity
Laboratory Tools and Measurements

Name of Group Members: ______________________Group No.: _____Date of submission:__________

_____________________________ Score:____________________
I. Laboratory Tools
A number of items you will be using in the laboratory are shown below. Study this page and decide
what the items may be used for, then, match the correct equipment pictured on this page to the tasks
asked for on the bottom of the page.

Beaker Safety Glasses Test Rack

“Hot Hand” Protector Erlenmeyer flask Electronic Balance

Transfer Pipet Graduated cylinder Test Tube Tongs

(Has a lip)

Funnel Thermometer Culture Tube Test Tube

Micro tube Slide with coverslip

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INORGANIC AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Object Name Purpose

1. Used to pick up or hold test tubes when they are hot
2. Used to hold really small amounts of liquid (under 2 mL)
3. Used to mount samples on to look at them with a microscope
4. Protects the eyes from flying objects or chemical splashes
5. A wide-mouthed container used to transport, heat or store substances
6. A small glass cylinder used to view chemical reactions or to heat small amounts
of a substance
7. A device to measure the mass or “mass out” and object or substance.
8. A disposable device used to dispense a small amount of a liquid (3 mL or less)
9. Used to measure volume precisely
10. Used to pour liquids into containers with small openings or to hold filter paper
11. A glass tube that is 10 mL, and should be used when cleaning might be an issue
12. A plastic hand protector that should be used to pick up hot glass containers so
they don’t slip
13. A device that would be used to measure the temperature of a solution
14. A narrow-mouthed glass container used to transport heat or store substances,
when a stopper is required.

II. Measurements

The purpose of this activity is to practice using the metric system. To conduct a scientific investigation,
a researcher must be able to make accurate measurements. In today’s exercise you will become familiar with
metric system units and converting between large and small metric units. In each of the sections that
follow, you will familiarize yourself with the appropriate metric units that scientists commonly use, and
then you will take the measurements of some everyday objects.

Meter, Centimeter, and Millimeter

1. Obtain a meter stick or ruler. On the opposite side find the English measurement units of “inches”.
How many inches are in a meter? . Therefore, one meter is roughly equivalent to a yard.

Figure 1 Meter stick

2. Turn the meter stick over and observe the metric subdivisions (Fig. 1). How many centimeters are in
a meter?
The prefix centi- means 100. How many cents (pennies) are in a dollar?

3. How many millimeters are in a centimeter? . The prefix milli- means a thousand. How
many millimeters are in a meter? .
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INORGANIC AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
4. For measuring smaller objects, it is preferable to use a metric ruler, rather than a meter stick. Obtain
a penny. Measure its diameter , then its width (thickness) .

5. Why is it preferable to measure a penny in millimeters rather than centimeters or meters?

A. Length:
Use a meter stick or a metric ruler to measure the following and convert it with the specify unit of
measurement:

1. Width of your door (in meters) m → ________cm

2. Your height (in meters) m→ ________cm

3. Length of a 20 pesos bill (in centimeters) cm→ ________m
4. Length of your cellphone mm → _______inch
5. Your birthday (indicate the your birthday) Birthday:_______: _______yr → ______ days→
_____seconds
B. Volume
Using your meter stick, determine the VOLUME of either of the rectangular aquarium in the your
house, in cm3 (cubic centimeters).
a. Show your measurements/calculations here (to the closest tenth decimal place):
Length = cm width = cm depth (height) = cm
Volume = cm3
Keeping in mind that each cubic centimeter is equivalent to a volume of 1 milliliter (mL), how
many LITERS of water would the tank hold? L
How many gallons (1 gallon = 3.7854 liters)? gallons

C. Mass
For our purposes, we will equate mass with weight. The basic unit of mass in the metric system is the
gram (g). A common derived unit used by biologists is the milligram (mg) (10-3 or 1/1000 of a gram).
Pharmacists often use mg for measures of medications, like in prescription pills.

How many g are in 2 kg? How many mg are in 0.2 g?

For measuring large masses, the kilogram (103 or 1000 grams) is often used (ex: body weight).
Ex: In international competitions, like the Olympics, an athlete’s weight is always given in kilograms. Convert
the body weight (if known) of one person from your lab group to metric kilograms

lbs x 0.4536 = kg

In the science lab, small masses are measured by using a scale (we have both triple beam balances and
electronic balances).

Mass problem:
Using your weighing scale, determine your weight in kg.
a. Show your measurements/calculations here (to the closest tenth decimal place):\
_______kg → ______lbs
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INORGANIC AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

D. Density
If the mass of an object and the volume of the object are both known, the density of the object can be
calculated - the formula for density is simply the object’s mass (in grams) divided by its volume (in ml).

For example, a 76 gram piece of gold might have a volume of 4 milliliters. The density of gold
is therefore: D = m/v (76 grams) / (4 milliliters) = 19 grams per milliliter

Density Problem:
Pure (24 carat) gold has a density of 19 g/mL. If you bought“gold” ring and found it had a volume of 0.3
mL and that it weighed 5.7 grams, is it pure gold? Show your work to support your answer.

E. Temperature
There are two temperature scales: the Fahrenheit (F) and Celsius (or “centigrade”, C) scales. See Figure 2.
Figure 2
The basic unit of temperature in the metric system that is used
internationally is the degree Celsius. (°C). There are no commonly
derived units.

To get a feel for degrees Celsius, consider the following

temperatures:
• Ice water and the freezing point of water are 0°C
• Room temperature water is 20 to 25°C
• Normal body temperature is 37°C
• Water gets too painful to touch between 50 – 60°C
• Water boils at 100°C

Useful conversion formulas:

To convert temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius the following conversion formula is used
°C = 5 (°F -32) or °C = 0.55 (°F -32) or °C = 1 (°F -32)
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Answer the following:

1. Water freezes at °F = °C.

2. Water boils at °F = °C.

3. Normal human body temperature is °F, which is equivalent to °C.

4. Taking temperature accurately

Record the following temperatures in your lab environment. In each case, allow the bulb end of the Celsius
thermometer to remain in or on the sample for a minimum of one minute before taking a reading.

a) Room temperature (air) Actual thermometer reading °C conversion: °F

b) Surface of your skin Actual thermometer reading °C conversion: °F

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INORGANIC AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

c) Warm tap water. Place a tap water run into the glass for at least a full minute.
Important: allow the thermometer to stabilize in the water for a minute before taking a reading.

Actual thermometer reading °C conversion: °F

Guide Questions:
1. Why is it important to be familiar with laboratory apparatus & their uses?
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2. Measurement Precision or Accuracy: What's More Important?

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3. What is the importance of measurement in our life?

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Conclusion and Insights:

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