Biotech Laboratory Skills (Ch 2)

What is the highest priority in a laboratory

Safety.

What must all laboratory workers wear

Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Who regulates safety in the laboratory workplace

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).

What are common hazards in a biology lab

Chemical, biological, electrical, and fire hazards.

When must general safety briefings occur

At the start of any new laboratory experience.

What type of glasses should be worn if splash hazards are low

Safety glasses with side protection.

What type of eye protection should be used with UV light

A full-face mask with UV protection.

Most gloves in a biology lab are made of what materials

Latex, nitrile, or vinyl.

What footwear is required in a lab

Closed-toed shoes.

What document contains chemical hazard and first aid information

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

What plan must every lab have regarding chemicals

Chemical Hygiene Plan.

What equipment prevents exposure to chemical fumes

Fume hood.

How high should the sash on a fume hood be raised

No higher than the indicated level.

What organizations regulate biological safety

OSHA, CDC, and NIH.

What biosafety level are high school labs

BSL-1.

Which organism is commonly handled in BSL-1 labs

E. coli HB101.

Which biosafety level handles moderate-risk agents

BSL-2.

Where are BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs typically found

Government facilities.

What disease requires handling in a BSL-4 lab

Ebola virus.

Who were the "Aberdeen Three"

Engineers criminally indicted for improper hazardous waste storage.

What was the penalty for the Aberdeen Three

Probation and community service.

What can laboratory notebooks help establish

Intellectual property rights.

What phrase about recording information should be remembered

"Commit nothing to memory, write everything down."

What must laboratory notebooks be

Bound with numbered pages.

What information should be at the top of a lab notebook page

Title, "from page," and "to page" entries.

What must be signed and dated on each notebook page

Researcher and witness signatures.

What pen should be used for lab notebooks

A black pen that doesn't bleed when wet.

What must each lab notebook entry begin with

A descriptive title and clearly defined purpose.

What should be included in a materials section of a notebook

Equipment model numbers and reagent lot numbers.

How should mistakes in a lab notebook be corrected

Crossed out with a single line, initialed, and dated.

What happened in the Claritin patent case

Medichem lost due to incomplete and unsigned lab notebook entries.

What is the most accurate glassware for preparing solutions

Volumetric flask.

Graduated cylinders are most accurate when

The smallest sufficient size is used.

How accurate is a volumetric flask

Within 0.04% of target volume.

What is the capacity range for graduated cylinders

5 mL to 5 L.

What is the capacity range for volumetric flasks

10 mL to 2 L.

What pipet is most accurate for a fixed volume

Volumetric pipet.

What is the dead volume in a Mohr pipet

Volume beyond the last graduation mark.

What pipet must have the last drops blown out

Serological pipet.

Which pipet has a reservoir in the middle

Volumetric pipet.

What is the most common motorized pipet pump design

Pistol-style grip with suction and blow-out buttons.

What is the accuracy of micropipets

Typically 0.5-4%.

When are micropipets least accurate

At the bottom of their volume range.

What is a burette primarily used for

Titration.

What must be done before using a burette

Take an initial reading.

What is the formula for volume dispensed using a burette

Vdelivered = Vfinal - Vinitial.

What are Erlenmeyer flasks best for

Mixing and swirling liquids.

What flask is commonly used for growing microbial cultures

Erlenmeyer flask with a screw cap or culture top.

What are Wheaton bottles used for

Storing solutions (but not for heating or autoclaving).

What units are used to measure mass in a lab

Grams, milligrams, micrograms.

What is a balance that reads to the thousandth of a gram called

Analytical balance.

What is placed on a balance to hold chemicals

Weigh boats or weighing paper.

Why not use regular paper for weighing

It can trap material and cause inaccurate measurements.

What is room temperature typically assumed to be

22°C.

What temperature is human body temperature

37°C.

What is the storage temperature for most reagents

4°C.

What is the temperature of a typical laboratory freezer

-20°C.

What is an ultralow freezer temperature

-80°C.

What is the temperature of liquid nitrogen

-196°C.

What thermometer type uses colored alcohol

Alcohol thermometer.

Why are mercury thermometers rare today

Safety hazard from broken mercury.

What does a pH meter actually measure

Voltage differences between two electrodes.

What two buffers should bracket a desired pH during calibration

Buffers that encompass the target pH.

What is the standard calibration for pH meters

Buffers at pH 4.0, 7.0, and 10.0.

What should you rinse pH electrodes with

Distilled water (dH2O).

What is the general rule about significant figures for addition/subtraction

Limit based on the least number of decimal places.

What is the general rule about significant figures for multiplication/division

Limit based on the least number of significant figures.

How many significant figures are in 1.040

Four.

What is scientific notation used for

Simplifying very large or very small numbers.

What is the scientific notation for 1,200,000

1.2 x 10⁶.

What does the prefix "micro" mean

10⁻⁶.

How would you convert grams to micrograms

Multiply by 10⁶.

What is the base unit for mass in the metric system

Gram.

What is a mole defined as

6.02 x 10²³ particles.

What is the FW (formula weight) of NaCl

58.44 g/mol.

What is molarity (M)

Moles of solute per liter of solution.

What is the formula to dilute a solution

C₁V₁ = C₂V₂.

How is a 5% (m/v) NaCl solution made

Dissolve 5g NaCl in water and bring volume to 100mL.

What sterilization method raises water's boiling point using pressure

Autoclaving.

What are standard autoclaving conditions

121°C and 15-20 PSI.

What does autoclave tape indicate

Successful sterilization by turning black.

What is basic surface disinfection achieved with

10% bleach solution.

Why use bleach over alcohol for DNA contamination

Bleach destroys DNA, alcohol does not.

What disinfects using shortwave UV light

Biological safety cabinet UV lamps.

What filter size is used to sterilize heat-sensitive solutions

0.22 μm.

What should labels on lab containers include

Solution name, concentration, date made, and maker's initials.

What is a common hazard symbol color for health risks

Blue.

What is the most critical step after preparing a solution

Labeling the container immediately.