Lab equipment 2

Fume hood:

The inside of a fume hood has air constantly sucked out through the top, hence minimising your exposure to toxic fumes or dust. A fume hood is also used to handle non-toxic but flammable substances. If there is a fire, you can step back and pull the cover down. The oxygen and any toxic gases produced will be sucked out inside a safe environment.

If you are handling flammable volatile substances which have a vapour heavier than air, then using a fume hood can avoid the following situation:

Having gas constantly sucked upwards will prevent this fire hazard.

Fumehoods can cost over $10,000, so in undergraduate labs they may be cramped. Many students will therefore do things outside the fume hood which should technically be done inside - I suggest using your own judgement. Universities are so careful to avoid being sued that they will tend to overstate the number of chemicals which need to handled be inside the fume hood.

It is suggested to keep the cover down when the fume hood is not in use. I ignored this for about 2 years until i learnt why - fumehoods consume as much power as a small house, and this consumption is minimised when the cover is down. People don't like arbitrary rules with no explanations, but they do like to save energy.

Lab coat:

Lab coats do not seem obviously important. But over the first year I came across many small holes (such as produced by acid) and random chemical stains. It is useful to be protected from these, especially since many safe and common powders and liquids can still be toxic over a long time period. It is nice to have these absorb onto your coat and stay in a locker, rather then contaminating your ordinary clothes and having them brought home with you.

Goggles:

Goggles are probably the most stressed safety feature in any lab. Acid on your skin can give you blisters and burns, while an acid splash in your eye can easily blind you permanently.