Lab Operations

Everyone in the group (PDRAs and PhD students) will have certain responsibilities to maintain the lab to ensure that we all work as efficiently and safely as possible. A list of lab jobs can be found here along with some general lab rules and guidance on the use of communal equipment.

The lab jobs will be reviewed periodically and updated. Any issues, contact Eve.

Current waste rota

Current consumables rota

It is imperative that communal areas and the apparatus stored within them are left clean for the next person to avoid contamination and risk of injury.

Glassware is limited so promptly clear up after yourself, particularly with more specialist equipment such as columns and don’t hoard items you’re not using on a daily basis.

Cleaning – Glassware should be cleaned thoroughly on BOTH the inside and outside. First, rinse with detergent/water and then with acetone. You may need to do this multiple times to remove stubborn stains. If it is not possible to get an item clean, it must be subjected to harsher cleaning agents (e.g. acid/base bath) or suitably disposed of. Rinse with acetone before drying.

Solvent Winchesters must be returned to the solvent cabinets when they are not in use (particularly overnight). We have a safety obligation to do this, and in addition, it makes it easier for others to locate solvents they need. Please don’t open several bottles of the same solvent and keep the flammables cabinet tidy. This allows us to quickly check stock levels.

Good gloving practice – Gloves when used properly can help protect your skin from contamination from chemicals and other hazards. It's essential that you wash your hands once gloves have been removed. Disposable gloves must be discarded once removed and not saved for future use. Remove gloves before touching personal items, such as phones, computers and one’s skin. If for any reason a glove fails, and chemicals come into contact with skin, consider it an exposure and seek medical attention.

Balances – The balances are a glove-free area to prevent cross contamination. If you’re weighing out something particularly toxic, use clean gloves and dispose of them after use. The balance spirit level should be checked before every use and the balance adjusted accordingly. If you are unsure how to do this, ask someone to show you. The balance should always be spotless. Any spills should be dealt with immediately, to prevent permanent damage, using either ethanol or IPA.

Rotavaps – Ensure that the dry ice/IPA is topped up in the trap before applying vacuum. Do not use the ‘continuous’ function or apply full vacuum with solvent remaining in the collection flask as this will pull solvent through the pumps. Additionally, empty the collection flask to remove low boiling solvents, before attempting to remove higher boiling ones. Clean the adaptors and empty the collection flask after use, ready for the next user and set the bath temperature back down to 25 ºC. If you are removing higher boiling solvents such as water and DMF, clean the rotavap thoroughly to prevent contamination for the next user. Do not use the rotavaps on the benches to remove anything potentially toxic or smelly. The rotavap in the fumehood can be used for this purpose. Fill in the log book and clean the rotavap thoroughly after use.

Cutting TLC plates– Cut whole plates using the guillotine and do not leave odd shapes. When finished, wipe down the area and DO NOT leave loose silica lying around.

TLC station – Keep the TLC dips area tidy. Either dip TLC plates directly into the stain bottles or use the pipettes provided. Don’t leave dirty/broken glass pipettes lying around and clear up after yourself. If you get stains on the bench, give it a wipe.

Hi-Vac line – The vacuum should only be used to remove trace amounts of solvents. Excess solvent should be first removed on the rotavap. The trap gets blocked very easily if too much solvent is pulled in. Ensure that you top up the Dewar with liquid nitrogen when using the line. Some solvents take longer to remove than others, but don’t leave compounds on there for longer than required as space is limited. After switching off the line, ensure that you check the trap for any condensed solvent. This needs to be removed to ensure that the best possible vacuum is maintained.

Floor/bench space – The floor space should be kept completely clear. Everything (including solvent Winchesters when in use) should be placed on the bench and not stored on the floor or on stools.

Sharps – Needles must never be left around unprotected. Do not resheath needles. Dispose of them directly or store in a small vial for reuse if necessary.

In general, small amounts of waste (acetone washings, used silica, sharps etc.) can be contained and stored in individual fumehoods and then transferred to the dedicated storage area. However, for particularly hazardous waste, you may need to quench these if appropriate and move them to the final storage area and arrange for their disposal.

• Solvent waste– Waste should be separated into chlorinated or hydrocarbon (non-chlorinated) and transferred to 10 L plastic drums which are stored in the waste fumehood. Drums can be collected from stores, and it is our responsibility to clearly label these with the type of waste (non-chlorinated or chlorinated) and the lab number (i.e. G25). Once full, these will need to be taken outside to the storage facility, ready for collection. DO NOT TOTALLY FILL waste containers as the contents can potentially expand when warmed. This presents a danger to us and those collecting the waste. It is not one individual’s responsibility to collect waste drums from stores. Take initiative and collect more if needed.
• Bins – Gloves and other waste should be placed in yellow tiger stripe hazardous waste bags. Once full, these should be tied off with cable ties that can found in the consumables draw. Yellow bags will be taken outside for disposal by the cleaners if left by the door in the evening with a Safe to Clean card placed on the door. Waste paper towels generated from handwashing can be disposed off in the small bin (clear bag) near the handwash sink. No laboratory waste should be placed in this bin.
• Aqueous waste – In general, aqueous acidic and basic waste should be neutralised and transferred to the appropriate 10 L waste drum in the waste fumehood.
• Hazardous waste – Filled containers of silica waste need to be appropriately labelled and disposal arranged. This is done through stores and is the responsibility of the person allocated to hazardous waste disposal. Very toxic waste and heavy metals (e.g. Pd, Cu, Ni) need to be transferred to clearly marked containers and their disposal arranged via stores. For commonly used heavy metals (i.e. Pd), waste containers can be stored in the waste fumehood rather than individual areas.
• Glass bins– Glass waste is put into one of the designated bins. Once full these need to be closed, sealed with tape and taken outside.

At the end of the day, everyone needs to ensure that their area is shut down before leaving. The last person to leave should double check that the UV lamps, Biotage, rotavaps, pumps and hi-vacs are turned off. Fume hood sashes should be closed when leaving the lab - at any time of day.