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1. Safety and Waste Disposal

  • Page ID
    243799
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    • Wear gloves and eye protection.
    • Sodium citrate may cause irritation to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.
    • Tetrachloroauric acid causes eye and skin burns. Harmful if swallowed or inhaled.
    • All reactions should be conducted under a hood.
    • All leftover chemicals must be collected in the waste bottle in the waste hood.

    All glassware for the AuNP synthesis must be free of contaminants and should be washed in aqua regia prior to use and rinsed thoroughly with nanopure water. Aqua regia, once prepared, can be used for approximately 4 weeks. If nanopure water is not available, commercially purchased distilled water can be substituted. When weighing gold chloride and sodium citrate, it is common practice to use a folded weighing paper and a spatula as the folded weighing paper gives better control for transferring small quantities. Students should receive instruction in proper use of pipets. Chemical waste should be properly disposed in heavy metal hazardous waste containers.


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