Guidelines for care & Use of Dry Solvent Stills [Example]

2. Personal Protective Equipment: Lab Coats and Gloves
1. The chemical laboratory is not the place for fashionable or impractical clothing. Wear sturdy cotton
trousers or long skirts and thick, well-worn shirts with long sleeves. Some other resilient material may be
just as good, but synthetic fabrics tend to melt when burned and adhere to skin. It is generally easy to end up
with chemical stains on clothes during any serious lab work. Don your old blue jeans, wear lab coats when
necessary, and keep your feet completely covered with leather or thick canvas shoes. Cotton lab coats are
preferable, although other fabrics sold by Fisher Scientific Company are acceptable. Disposable aprons are
available in the Chemistry Department Stockroom (room #110).
2. Gloves: Wear disposable laboratory gloves when working with hazardous chemicals. Which type you
choose to wear should be dictated by the general class of chemical you will be exposed to in the lab.
Research lab gloves should be purchased by your research advisor. If your research advisor does not
stipulate which type you should obtain or provide them for you then please procure them from the
stockroom (room #110). They are described as follows:
a) Lightweight Purple nitrile gloves (brand name Kimberly-Clark “Safeskin”, Fisher catalog # 19-149-
863A through D, for sizes extra-small through extra-Large, $74.90 per case of 1000 as of 10-18-06)
meant generally for organic solvents and solids and to a lesser extent, mineral acids. These gloves are
also used for undergraduate Organic Chemistry, Chem 221-221L labs and are 4 "mils" thick (a "mil" is
equal to 0.001 inch). A good substitute for these would be VWR, Inc., Microgrip Ambi-nitrile gloves
(purple), catalog # 40101-344 (small) through 40101-346 (large). All of these are disposable gloves.
b) Light-weight latex rubber off-white and green gloves (Kimberly-Clark “Safeskin”, Fisher catalog #
11-390-1A through D, for sizes extra-Small through extra-Large, $53.00 per case of 1000 as of 10-18-06)
are best for mineral acids and inorganic salts and are used by undergraduate students in general
chemistry labs, Chem 111-116L labs. They are 6 mils thick (again, 0.006 of an inch thick). THEY DO
NOT STAND UP WELL TO ORGANIC SOLVENTS. A good substitute for these would be VWR, Inc.,
Microgrip Latex gloves (blue-green, or teal), catalog # 40101-414 (small) through 40101-418 (large).
Again, these are disposable. We also have SAFESKIN latex gloves (off white), Fisher # 11-390-1A
through 1E, which are 6 mils thick (again, 0.006 of an inch thick).
c) Yellow, heavy-duty, universal, thick, cotton lined rubber gloves (ANSELL EDMONT Natural
Rubber, Fisher catalog #11-394-7A through E, size 7-10). These are good overall protection for both
graduate and undergraduates. They are more cumbersome than the lighter gloves described above. Do
not use them if your skin is overly sensitive to cotton. These are meant to be reusable gloves. We also
have slightly heavier duty orange ANSELL EDMONT Natural Rubber gloves, Fisher catalog # 11-391-
145 [size 7], then 11-394-6B through 11-394-6D (for sizes small through large).
d) Heavyweight, non-cotton lined, dark-green nitrile gloves (MAPA Professional Stansolv Nitrile gloves,
Fisher catalog #11-391-1A through E, size 7-11) are for people who may be allergic to cotton-lined
gloves.
e) "Multi-flex" powder-lined heavyweight green vinyl gloves, VWR Scientific Products (Baxter) catalog
# G7235-3 or 4, for large or extra large sizes. Vinyl(or PVC) material stands up well to acids and
alcohols, but not most organic solvents.
f) "Zetex" brand temperature resistant gloves (non-asbestos material), Fisher catalog #11-392-15one size
only.
g) Neoprene Gloves for handling Hydrofluoric acid will be supplied by Scott Frazier [WFU Assistant
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Director]. His phone # is 4329 (or 4224)
Please read the section entitled "Hand Protection" on pages 132-3 of Prudent Practices, 2nd
edition, and consult the glove selection charts kept in the Stockroom (room # 110) copy of The Chemical
51