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Technical Tips

Removing a rubber stopper stuck in a glass flask.

30/04/2020

Possible Causes: 1.Rubber stopper fitted tightly in the flask. Flask neck might be slightly narrow for the stopper or the stopper is slightly too small for the flask. 2.Rubber stopper has hardened somewhat with age to the point where rubber attains a strong bond with glass. 3.Rubber stopper is stuck due to vacuum formed inside…

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Making Hand Sanitizer

27/03/2020

Ingredients 250mls of 91% isopropyl alcohol 125mls  of aloe vera gel (natural or store-bought) 15 drops of tea tree oil (or another antibacterial essential oil) 1. Pour the alcohol into a medium beaker. 2. Measure and pour the aloe vera gel. Alcohol can be hard on your skin, so using aloe is a good way to counteract that effect and keep…

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Yoghurt making:

26/10/2016

Question: Do you know at what temperature you incubate yoghurt? My instructions say to add a small amount of natural yoghurt to milk and then incubate overnight, but no temperature! Answer: The recommended temperature is 44 to 45 degrees Celsius. Bacteria are inactive below 21 degrees C and are killed above 49 degrees C.

Yabbies:

26/10/2016

If you get yabbies very small, only just visible, and keep them for the term, you will see quite a measurable growth rate. Once they are older juveniles or adults, they grow at a much slower rate which is not that measurable in a school situation. For food, we use a ‘sinking’ pellet rather than…

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Water electrolysis:

26/10/2016

NOTES FOR LAB STAFF: Equipment: 0.5 M or 3% v/v sulphuric acid + spill tray Hoffman voltameter + electrodes 2 x stopcocks to fit voltameter power pack + leads crocodile clips retort or voltameter stand petroleum jelly dissecting tray (not board) + bench roll piece 2 small & 2 large test tubes + stoppers test…

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Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC):

26/10/2016

Materials: Thin-layer chromatography plate and a pencil (not a biro or felt tip pen) Four test tubes in a stand and labelling Three capillary tubes for use as micropipettes Chromatography chamber: either a screw top jar tall enough to take the TLC plate, a small beaker with a Petri dish for a lid, or a…

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Thermometer-use for broken ones:

26/10/2016

Here is a use for those dead spirit thermometers: Using your tubing glass-cutter, remove the spirit end and you have a glass stirrer. Remove both ends and you have graduated capillary tubing.

Thermometer salvage:

26/10/2016

Question: How do you fix spirit thermometers where the alcohol has separated? Answer: Place the thermometers in a beaker of vegetable oil and heat the oil using a Bunsen or preferably a hot plate which is safer. The oil will heat to over 100 degrees C which means all the spirit will then join up…

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Storage solution for preserved specimens:

26/10/2016

Phenoxytol storage solution is an alternative to formalin based or 70% ethanol storage solutions. 10mL phenoxytol (2-phenoxyethanol) 50mL glycerol 940mL distilled water It must be noted that this solution is a storage solution only, and fresh specimens must be properly preserved before storage eg. preserve animal specimens in 10% formalin for 3 weeks, wash well…

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Stomata- recommended plant species:

26/10/2016

The following species are recommended as good sources for viewing leaf stomata: Agapanthus, German ivy (Senecio mikanioides), mother-in-laws-tongue, wandering “Jew” (Tradescantia) and Bougainvillea.

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