General Chemistry Data Sheet

GENERAL CHEMISTRY DATA SHEET ACS Examinations Institute... 

In a modern laboratory, automated computer software for data acquisition and processing performs most of data reduction. Raw data for organic compound and trace element analyses comprise standardized calibration and quantitation reports from various instruments, mass spectra, and chromatograms. Laboratory data reduction for these instrumental analytical methods is computerized. Contrary to instrumental analyses, most general chemistry analyses and sample preparation methods are not sufficiently automated, and their data are recorded and reduced manually in laboratory notebooks and bench sheets. The SOP for every analytical method performed by the laboratory should contain a section that details calculations used in the method s data reduction. 

The CAS number for a chemical is probably listed on the label if you are retrieving a chemical from the bottle or container in which it was received from a chemical supply company. But, to more generally find a CAS number, it is easy to access reliable web sites. Examples of two such web sites are Chemlndustry.com (http //www.chemindustry.com/ apps/chemicals) and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (http //webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/). At these sites you can search by name or formula to find a CAS number. Safety Data Sheets (Section 3.1.3) will also have the CAS number. See the SDS in Appendix A and look in Section 1 to find the CAS number. And this is one instance where you can probably also trust the Wrkipedia information about a chemical In fact, for Wikipedia entries about chemicals you will notice that in the boxed column of basic information about the chemical, you will find a green check mark (/) to indicate that the entry has been verified. 

There are many books on general safety management, and quite a few on laboratory management directed mainly towards chemists. These include the Code of Practice for Chemical Laboratories (The Royal Institute of Chemistry, London) and Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory, by G. D. Muir (Chemical Society, London). The best review of chemical safety data sheets is Chemical Risk, by Maurice Frankel (Pluto Press, London). The Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards, by L. Bretherick (Butterworths, London) is a very useful compendium of chemicals which do not mix well or need careful treatment. 

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