Chemical industry plays an important role in Indian economy. It contributes about 6.7 per cent to the GDP. From the morning to bed time we use different chemicals, starting from tooth paste to soap, shaving cream, aftershave lotion, cosmetics, synthetic garments, medicine, drugs, and many more. The chemical industry is a vital part of agriculture and industrial development and very much essential to sustain research and development works in various fields. All laboratories need different chemicals to conduct R&D activities. These chemicals generally known as laboratory chemicals are divided into different grades based on the impurity content and applications.
Lab reagents: Laboratory chemicals are graded based on purity and applications. Some common chemical grades are listed in Table-1. The American Chemical Society has graded the highest purity chemicals as ACS grade, which are suited for use in laboratory and analytical applications.
Acids: The general classifications of acids are based on source (i.e., organic and inorganic), strength, (i.e., dilute and concentrated) etc. Based on applications the acids used in laboratory are often grouped differently.
Chromatography: Gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), thin film liquid chromatography (TFLC) etc. are ultra-modern laboratory process, used for separating and analyzing small amounts of organic chemicals. These processes play important role in developing various high end chemicals, viz. flavours and pharmaceuticals.
Standard solutions: - Solutions are prepared with raw materials which meet or exceed requirements of the relevant standards. Where no standards are not available, chemicals of highest purity available are used. All aqueous solutions are prepared using high purity, deionized, water which meets ASTM type 1 Reagent Grade water specifications. These solutions are standardized direct to NIST standards or primary standard grade materials where available.
Biotech applications: High purity biotechnology solvents, tested for suitability for bimolecular synthesis, sequencing and chromatographic separations under gradient and isocratic conditions. Solvents used are generally are amine-free, 99.9+% purity, and low water content and low acidity.
Storage: Storage of laboratory chemicals needs special care and precaution. The most important guideline is containers in which chemicals are stored must be clearly labelled. Some other important points to be noted are as follows:
● Absorbent material must be readily available so as to absorb any kind of spills and leaks.
● Inventory of the materials stored is important so as to keep in touch with the chemicals that may have been forgotten.
● Chemicals must be stored at an appropriate temperature and humidity level.
● Stored chemicals should never come in contact with direct sunlight.
● Chemicals that are not used for a long time should be properly disposed of.
● When certain hazardous chemicals are stored or mixed together, violent reactions may occur because the chemicals are unsuitable for mixing, or are incompatible.
● Laboratories should separate storage area according to the chemicals of similar properties, such as flammability, corrosiveness, sensitivity to water or air, and toxicity. Flammable/combustible liquids and organic acids, flammable solids, mineral acids, caustics, oxidizers etc.
● Appropriate care should be exercised in the storage and handling of explosive chemicals.
-The author is an expert in chemicals and intermediates, based in Mumbai