Australia's Science Forum

Howday, since our upgrade the senior chem class has been moved to a block that does not contain the chemstore Go figure! and as I finish half hour before last class the HT wants to buy a storage cupboard for the prep room. He is too lazy to think of returning them to the chemstore As these chemicals will never be the concerntrated stock and only small amounts is this necessary? My concern is do we buy a flammable cupboard, corrosive or what as we can't technically store them together, plus we are looking at around $1000- which seems silly for such small amounts, as its small amounts are they ok locked in the prep room overnight. What is the advise from all those wise labbies out there cheers MariaC

I have un opened stock in my chem store. And smaller amounts, grouped in class's in the Prep room. Ours is a very old prep room, the door locks, but not the cupboards, or cabinets. I only have opened samller amounts in the prep room. And I do believe that is OK.

I frequently leave chemicals just in the prep room overnight, sometimes longer! I would imagine that as long as they are returned to the prep room and not left in the classroom it should be ok. Seems a waste of money to go buying cupboards.

Afterthought: Are you talking about dry chemicals, or solutions? All of my stock solutions are permanently kept in the prep room, and only my solid chemicals (and concentrated acids, flammables etc) are kept in the chem store.

If you leave them in the prep room they must be kept in a locked cupboard if they are to stay there more than 24 hours.
So as long as the cupboard is locked I can't see any problems as long as the classes are kept seperate.
the same as soulitons must be labeled with a proper label if left more than 24 hours in a beaker or bottle.

I knew Id get quick responses thats what I love about Chemtalk!!!! It may be a mixture of stock solutions eg 1M HCL, plus drys such as potassium permanganate, but only class amounts of each. Noona if it has to be a locked cupboard does it have to be vented etc or is an old waldrobe ok MariaC

If the prep room is locked, doesn't that constitute a locked cupboard?! It does here!

All of my made up solutions are not locked away in a cupboard they are out on a shelf. Prep room is locked at all times. My solids and acids are locked away in flammables and corrosive cupboards. See attached photo.

Spending $1000 is a bit extreme for small amount of solutions I think Maybe you can set up something like my prep room but on a smaller scale.

Like your setup, my thoughts exactly regarding cost, HT is very selfish and wants to spend all the budget on chemistry! After reading CSIS more carefully Ive found "the bulk of chemicals and reserve stocks should be stored in a secure chemicals store" but "where chemicals are stored in preparation rooms, any adjoining labs or other rooms must be lockable" so it would appear a locked prep room is ok and this is what ive passed onto the SAM MariaC