It was our first week of doing science experiments in Mr. Robinson’s class. We had a safety test and Mr. Robinson went over all of the rules we must follow in order to have a safe experiment. The first one was an experiment involving different types of chemicals and observing how they react when mixed. Many of us were looking forward to because of how interesting it was; however, I could tell that some people in the class were probably going to goof off as they were fooling around during the safety rules lesson and during the test. Although a few people didn’t seem prepared, most of us were ready for the experiment taking place tomorrow. We also reviewed some WHMIS symbols that some of the chemicals that we’re working with have and some hazardous household products.

This symbol means that it’s an oxidizer, which means that the substance has the ability to oxidize other substances.
This symbol means that it’s flammable, self-heating, and self- reactive which means that it can catch on fire.
This symbol means that you should be aware of the product because its toxins can cause sickness. It’s very unhealthy to breathe in the fumes of the product. Be sure to wear masks/gloves when in contact.

This symbol means to handle the product with care because it can cause an explosion. It’s dangerous to mix explosive products with other products.

When we arrived, Mr. Robinson went over the safety rules once again to make sure we were all prepared and safe during the experiment. Then we put on our safety goggles because it protects our eyes from the hazardous chemicals we were experimenting with. Then, we got all of the materials we needed for the experiment which included graduated cylinders which are a very accurate tool to measure liquid volume (graduated in mL). We also used a beaker which is used to stir, heat (if glass) and make a rough estimate of liquid volume in mL and a funnel which is used to pour liquids into small openings without spilling it. And lastly, we used an eye dropper to measure and transfer small amounts of liquids and of course gloves for extra protection for our hands. For the most part, we all felt prepared and ready to do the experiment, so we started.

Those few people in our class were still goofing off the day of the experiment, when in reality, they should’ve known the risks to not know what to do. My partner and I started the experiment and we had our goggles on which is the first important step. When I looked over to the other side of the class room I noticed those people started the experiment without their goggles on! This is dangerous since the fumes form the chemicals can cause a burning sensation in your eyes and it’s not safe. Luckily, Mr. Robinson noticed and gave them a warning to follow the rules and not fool around while doing an experiment that involves risks if not done properly. It was very interesting seeing how the chemicals and acids reacted when mixed. We were strictly told to not put our nose close to the chemicals and instead we have to waft in order to smell it. The partnership that was goofing off earlier, didn’t follow the rules again and he put his nose directly on the rim of the beaker and started to feel dizzy as the acid was really strong he was walking over to his partner to let him know but he fainted because of how dizzy he was. Mr. Robinson called the first aid attendant, Mr. Colombo and he ended up being alright after a little while. He and his partner definitely learnt their lesson to pay attention and to not fool around that day.

Later on, in the week we had our next experiment, this one had the same materials but it had different chemicals. We did an experiment involving acids and chemicals that were less hazardous/strong and we reviewed the safety rules and it seemed like EVERYONE was paying attention and understood this time. Come the day of the experiment everyone put on their safety goggles and was well prepared for the experiment. I noticed this time the partnership that really messed up last time, was wafting the chemical and was being more mature than last time. It was so interesting to see how the chemicals reacted and so many people really enjoyed the experiment. We cleaned up when we were finished and it was overall a very successful lab. Everyone demonstrated good safety skills and everything ran smoothly.

The last day of the week, we discussed ethics and we shared our opinion on a scenario. The scenario was scientists testing products on animals. There are 2 different sides to this, the first one is that we shouldn’t test on animals because they’re innocent and its essentially animal abuse. The animals suffer through testing and so many die each year so it’s something that should not be happening. The other side is that animals need to be tested on in order to have accurate results to ensure that humans are not at risk to certain things and that it’s better it be an animal than a human at harm or dying. Overall, ethics have different sides and people have certain opinions.