Okuzeka
Chemistry vocabulary · Laboratory Safety

Chemical waste

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCommon term

In chemistry, chemical waste means: Unwanted chemicals and materials contaminated with them, such as used solvents, reaction residues and dirty gloves, that must be collected and disposed of safely.

In Turkish: kimyasal atık

How it is used

Every lab has rules for it. You collect, segregate, label and dispose of chemical waste, and halogenated and non-halogenated solvents usually go into separate containers. Nothing goes down the sink unless the lab's rules allow it.

Example sentences

  1. Pour the chlorinated solvents into the halogenated chemical waste container.

  2. Label every chemical waste bottle with its contents and the date.

Common collocations

  • chemical waste container
  • dispose of chemical waste
  • hazardous waste
  • waste segregation
  • safety data sheetA standard document from the supplier that describes a chemical's hazards, safe handling, storage, first aid and disposal. It is usually shortened to SDS.
  • spillAn accident in which a chemical is dropped or leaks out of its container. As a verb, the word means to let a liquid or powder fall out by accident.
  • solventThe substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance to form a solution. Water is the most common one; ethanol, acetone and hexane are widely used organic ones.
  • PPEShort for personal protective equipment: the items you wear to protect yourself from hazards in the lab, such as a lab coat, safety goggles and gloves.

More terms: Laboratory Safety

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: