[Prep Lab Students] Spring 2026- Week 4

[Weaver, Tyler]

The Weekly Mix
Volume: Spring 2026 | Edition: Week 4
Schedule

It’s week 4, which means it’s time to try something truly radical: a full week of lab. Monday sections will, at long last, be having lab.

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Experimental Details

Review the window notes and any associated equipment guides for additional details. Please refer to last week’s edition<https://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/preplabstudents/2026-January/000329.html> for details on SOL.

DAG
Materials will be provided on the bench beside Hood A. Be prepared to provide replacement plastic 50 mL graduated cylinders. The students tend to put these in their drawers instead of returning them. There are now enough brass pieces of each type for each student to have one.

EMS

These will be set up on the bench beside Hood A. Replacement parts are available in the window. The power supplies and discharge tubes are new, but the spectrometers are the same.

FPD

Be prepared to direct students to the ice machine outside of the restrooms. Keep an eye on the ice machines, let us know if it’s getting low. If the machine is getting low, we can top it off with ice from the prep lab. We do not provide an ice scoop to students; they should just use an empty beaker from their drawer. The FPD apparatus guide has details on replacement parts and repairs that can be done within the lab support window.

Everyone is required to read the current version of the FPD guide. We’ll have copies of the FPD guide in the windows and in the prep lab office. Everyone must read it. After reading, you must initial on the roster next to Keyth indicating you have read through it and understood it. Let us know if there are any gray areas.

QUL

All rooms have a significant stash of 1.7 mL microcentrifuge tubes behind their marker boards. The students will be using the centrifuges for this- if they report one is not working, check the following: it’s plugged in, turned on, and the lid is fully closed. If it still doesn’t work, trade it with one of the extras in the window. Place a broken item sticker on the faulty unit.

When doing cart checks for this experiment, swap the entire bin of reagents regardless of fill level. Do not check individual bottles- it takes too long.

SAL

Additional colorless empty microcentrifuge tubes are stored behind the marker boards. Only emptied and rinsed centrifuge tubes should be placed in the blue bucket. Blue buckets should be swapped out during waste runs if they are more than half full. If you see any leftover tubes of solids on the reagent carts when doing your checks, please give them to the window- window people, please put them in the “partial unknown sets” bin.

Other Information

Evening Dismissal

Around closing time, Emma and Sarah will dismiss students early if everything that needs to be done is completed prior to the end of the scheduled shifts. This should be reflected properly in your timesheets.

Window Stuff

If someone gives you something that is broken, by default, please offer a replacement of that item.

We’re still struggling a bit with the red lids on the blue buckets. When blue buckets are not in use the red lid should be placed on top of the bucket. When they are going to be used, the red lid should be placed under the blue bucket or at least flipped over so you cannot see the “this bucket is not in use” sticker. Leaving this sticker in view of an “in-use” bucket can be confusing.

Vacuuming

When using the backpack vacuum in the labs, please be sure to move the reagent carts and sweep the area where they were sitting. Dust and hair tend to accumulate there. Please also open the doors to the AV cabinet and sweep the floor in front of it and any obvious dust that is not in a sensitive place.

Absorbent Pads

We have several types of absorbent pads available in the lab, so it’s understandable if you find it challenging to decide what should be used. A summary is listed below, but if you’re ever unsure please just ask.

Yellow pads- are for chemical spills

Gray pads- are for spills that can be disposed of in the trash. Think mud, coffee, melted snow, etc.

Large blue pads- these have blue backs and are for the sliver carts.

Medium blue pads- these are for the blue carts. These pads are currently blue with white backs but will change to white with white backs.

Small blue pads- these are blue with white backs and are for the shelving in the prep lab.

Cart Changes

Reference the gather sheets when completing cart changes and chemical removals. We’ve seen mistakes that could easily be avoided with both tasks had the gather sheets been referenced. Additionally, be sure you are switching any dirty liners on carts when doing cart changes.

Friday Waste Runs

Dr. Moore, our chemical safety coordinator has specifically instructed us to not leave any waste upstairs over the weekend. To comply with this, please glance at the waste beakers when doing Friday night waste runs on all rooms, we’ve seen waste left behind.

On the same topic, please be sure to replace any used 6 M NaOH. I don’t have a waste run scheduled for Monday mornings because everything should have been taken care of Friday night. If the 6 M NaOH is not replenished on Friday night, the Monday morning sections will be at a disadvantage.

General Chemistry Prep Lab • Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry • THE Ohio State University
preplabstaff at lists.osu.edu<mailto:preplabstaff at lists.osu.edu>

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