Hazard Symbols and Safe Practice

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Standard pictograms warn of corrosive, flammable, toxic, oxidising and harmful substances. Reading them before you open a bottle, and knowing what each demands — goggles, gloves, fume cupboard, no flames — is the first skill of any chemist.

Key words

hazard pictogram
A standard symbol warning of a specific type of chemical danger.
corrosive
Able to destroy living tissue or damage materials on contact.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

hazard symbol cards
labelled bottles (unopened)
notebook

⚠️ Safety first

Read labels only — do not open any container during this survey.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "hazard pictogram" and "corrosive" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Match eight hazard pictograms to their meanings, then survey the bottles in your lab or kitchen and record which symbols appear on each. Write the precaution each one demands.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

A corrosive substance is one that:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Hazard pictograms should be read:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Using a Bunsen Burner All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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