The American National Standards Institute is a coordinating body for voluntary standards activity on the national level. It serves to develop nationally-accepted American National Standards. The designation of Z87 on your safety eye wear means that it meets those standards. ANSI Z87.1-1989 Eye Practice and Protection Standards and ANSI Z358.1-1998 Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment Standards help the user in selecting equipment to meet OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requirements.

A small percentage of the population is allergic to the latex protein in latex gloves. This allergy can vary from contact dermatitis to a severe life-threatening attack. A suitable alternative to latex gloves are disposable vinyl gloves or the newer disposable nitrile gloves.

An MSDS icon appears on every chemical product page. Simply click the icon to download the MSDS.

Fire extinguishers are classified by the type of fire that they will extinguish. Class A is for ordinary combustibles such as paper, wood, and some plastics and textiles. Class B is used for flammable liquid fires such as alcohol. Class C is used on live electrical equipment fires. Class D is used on combustible metals such as magnesium and sodium.

If you have access to plumbing, as most laboratories do, your eyewash should be permanently connected to the source of potable water. If plumbing is not available, gravity-feed eyewashes which provide 15 minutes of continuous flow from their self-contained tank can be used. Personal self-contained eye wash bottles are designed to provide immediate flushing at a workstation. They can support plumbed or gravity-feed eye wash units, but should not be used as a substitute. For more information, see the ANSI Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment ANSI Z358.1-1998 standards.

Preserved specimens are available in many varieties and preparations. Disposal of your specimens will ultimately be dictated by what chemicals are present in the specimens, and your state and local regulations for chemical disposal of those chemicals. You should always obtain an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for your specimens. The MSDS will provide information on what chemicals are present in tissues and preservative/packaging solutions that come with your specimens. Once you have determined the chemical makeup of your specimens, first consult with your chemistry department’s Safety Officer, if available. Share the MSDS information with him or her and see if he or she can advise you with the disposal. Otherwise, please consult your local EPA for instructions. Please provide the MSDS information to the local EPA office members to assist them in instructing you regarding local regulations for this type of material. Some suppliers will suggest a slow draining of the preservative fluid down the sink. This method may or may not be legal in your area. Again, please consult your local EPA.

DIN stands for "Deutsche Industrie Normen". This refers to a series of industry standards that were established in Germany. With regard to microscopes, DIN refers to optical specification standards for focal length and optical performance. If a microscope or component is listed as DIN, it is built to meet DIN standards and designed so that optical parts such as objective lenses or eyepieces should be interchangeable with other DIN microscopes. Therefore, a DIN microscope objective has a standard focal length and threading, and a DIN microscope eyepiece has a standard diameter, nosepiece threading and focal length.

You can check to see if your scope is parfocal by selecting a slide you know you can bring into sharp focus with the most powerful objective on your scope. Then switch to the less powerful objectives in descending order. With a parfocal microscope, a slide that is in focus with the 40X objective will still be in focus when using the less powerful objectives with little or no adjustment. Why should you always start with the most powerful objective? Because that 40X objective has the narrowest range of focus. Therefore if you're in focus at 40X, you're sure to be in (or very close to) focus when you to switch to the other, less powerful, objectives that have wider focal ranges.

The numbers you see on binoculars designate the magnification and objective lens size. For example, binoculars that read 7 x 35 mean the binoculars magnify the image seven times, and the diameter of the front, or objective lens, is 35mm. Binoculars that read 7 x 50 magnify the image seven times, and have a front lens diameter of 50mm. Larger front lenses allow more light to enter, and are better for viewing in low-light conditions. 10 x 50 magnifies 10 times and has a 50mm lens diameter.

Traditional student microscopes come standard with Tungsten or Halogen illuminators. Fluorescent illuminators only started to be in use on microscopes in the last five years. Tungsten or Halogen bulbs give a very bright, white light, with a different visual spectrum than Fluorescent bulbs. Tungsten or Halogen are recommended for the best viewing with typical compound microscopes. Both Tungsten and Halogen bulbs give off substantial heat. Either type can make the base of a microscope very hot over time. In contrast, Fluorescent bulbs give off very little heat, and offer a very long bulb life, approximately 10,000 hours. Fluorescent illuminated models tend to be slightly more expensive than Tungsten/Halogen models.

To calculate the magnification, simply divide the Focal Length of your telescope by the eyepiece diameter. For example: A telescope with 900mm focal length and a 20mm eyepiece has a magnification of 45X. 900 divided by 20 = 45. If you are not sure about the focal length of your telescope contact the manufacturer or distributor where purchased.

There are several ways to increase the magnification, and it is important to note that the lower the number of “mm” on your eyepiece, the higher the magnification. Further, as you go to stronger eyepieces, less light is transmitted through the optical system.

The simplest way to increase magnification is to add a Barlow Lens to your eyepiece. A Barlow lens will double the magnification of your eyepiece. Using the example above, calculate the effect a Barlow lens would have using the following equation: 900mm focal length divided by a doubled 20mm eyepiece with a Barlow added (effectively makes it a 10mm eyepiece) = 900 divided by 10 = 90X.

Another way to increase the magnification would be through using different eyepieces. For example, if you have a focal length of 900mm, and a 20mm eyepiece, the magnification is 45X. Simply change to a 17mm eyepiece and redo the calculation: 900mm divided by 17mm = 53X. Drop down to a 12.5mm eyepiece and calculate: 900mm divided by 12.5mm = 72X.

A Reflecting Telescope (also known as catoptric) uses a concave parabolic primary mirror to collect and focus light onto a flat secondary mirror. The secondary mirror reflects the image out an opening at the side of the telescope, and into the eyepiece assembly. A Refracting Telescope (also known as dioptric) has a long thin tube in which the light passes in a straight line from the front objective lens to the eyepiece, at the opposite end of the tube. (Descriptions provided courtesy of Celestron International.)

Borosilicate glass is any silicate glass having at least 5% boron oxide content. What this means to you is that it has excellent resistance to heat, solvents, and most acids. Flint glass, also called soda lime glass, is a softer, less heat-resistant glass for items that can be bent when heat is applied.

Unless autoclaving is necessary, glassware should be cleaned as soon as possible after use to prevent residues from caking on the surface. Biodegradable cleaners such as liquid Versa-Clean or powder Alconox can be used in conjunction with a labware-specific brush for easy and safe washing.

The most popular style (a partial immersion thermometer) only needs to be immersed in the liquid up to the specified immersion line, usually placed at 76mm from the end of the bulb. A total immersion thermometer needs to be immersed to the point at which the liquid in the thermometer rises.

A quick exhaust feature allows the quick release of chamber pressure to reduce drying time when sterilizing your labware. A slow exhaust autoclave is desirable when sterilizing media for your microbiology lab. This feature eliminates boil-over, saving you material and a mess!

You're not alone! This is a very common, but correctable problem. There are two methods that can be used (don't forget to wear hand and eye protection).

Heating Method: Holding the thermometer away from your face, heat it in an upright position in warm liquid or air until the separated portion of the column enters the expansion chamber at the top of the thermometer. But take caution; overfilling the expansion chamber will break the thermometer. Tap the thermometer gently on the surface of a large rubber stopper in an upright position allowing the gas separating the column to rise above the column. Allow the thermometer to cool slowly and store in an upright position.

Cooling Method: Keeping the thermometer bulb upright, place the thermometer bulb only in a solution of shaved ice and salt or dry ice and alcohol. Allow the liquid column to retreat into the bulb, swing the thermometer in an arc releasing the entrapped gas permitting it to escape above the column. Allow the thermometer to cool slowly and store in an upright position.

Polyethylene (LDPE or HDPE) is generally the least expensive and most cloudy plastic. Aggressive solvents will cause softening or swelling of the material. Products made of polyethylene are not autoclavable. Polypropylene (PP) is more translucent than polyethylene. But unlike polyethylene, it is autoclavable. It has similar chemical resistance to polyethylene, but is not resistant to strong oxidizing reagents. Products made of polypropylene may become brittle at 0°C. Polymethylpentene (PMP or TPX) is the crystal-clear material, making it a desirable alternative to glass. It has similar chemical resistance to polypropylene, but can become softened from hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents. It withstands repeated autoclaving, even at 150°C. Labware made of polymethylpentene is brittle at room temperature and may crack if dropped from the lab bench.

Ethanol is most commonly used. There is now Ethanol Burner Fuel available, which has additives that add color to the otherwise virtually colorless flame.

A new balance has been calibrated before it leaves the factory, but due to shipping or long-term storage the calibration may not stay stable. It is recommended that you calibrate the balance periodically by using a weight of a known mass and calibrate, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Some people think that the best way to store pH electrodes is to store them in distilled water. The difficulty with this approach is that the solutions inside of your electrode consist of an electrolyte that will eventually diffuse into the distilled water over time. Store your electrodes in a storage solution such as CVS60039 for best results.

Yes! In a spectrometer, light is focused through a prism or diffraction grating, collected in a telescope, and observed to ascertain the characteristics of the light. Spectrophotometers use a diffraction grating to break white light into its component colors. These colors are then beamed through a specially-designed test tube known as a cuvette that holds a solution under test. A photodetector indicates how much of the light got through the sample. Spectrophotometers are used extensively in biology and chemistry to determine the concentration of various substances.

It is important to keep your applications in mind when you purchase a power supply. The output voltage is important but not your only consideration. Consider how much current your application will require. Lighting a few small light bulbs in parallel may require as much as two amps of current. A few turns of wire over an iron nail used as an electromagnet has a resistance of less than 1 ohm. If your power supply is set to 1.5 Volts, you are asking it to supply more than 1.5 Amps of current. DC motors have a very low resistance until they start spinning. If your power supply cannot supply this current, it will probably shut down by blowing a fuse, tripping a circuit breaker, or simply turning off. Make sure your power supply can supply the current you will need for your experiment. Regulated power supplies maintain voltage levels and are the power supply of choice for use with electronic circuits.

A diffraction grating is an optical device that has narrow slits or grooves engraved into it at equal intervals. These slits cause light to break up into its component colors when shined through the grating. Diffraction gratings are often used in place of prisms because they are inexpensive and easier to work with than prisms.

Cleaning the dome will reduce charge leakage. Replace it if it is pitted or dented. Replace the belt if it is worn or old. The combs on the top and bottom of the generator should be about 3/16" from the belt. Because humidity is always a problem, try carefully blow-drying the felt-covered pulley on the bottom of your generator. If that doesn't work, try doing your experiments in winter when it is less humid.

Carbon Zinc and Alkaline cells have a terminal voltage of about 1.5 Volts. The difference lies in their ability to produce sustained currents. As current is taken from Carbon Zinc batteries, the terminal voltage drops. This happens in Alkaline batteries also, but the drop is more gradual (up to a point).

Many people strike tuning forks by hitting them on the end of the table. This is a bad idea because it excites both the fundamental and higher harmonics of the vibrating bar. The best way to strike a tuning fork is to use a rubber hammer, such as our CVS42065, or to strike the fork, gently, against your elbow. Always strike your fork at the end opposite the handle.

Place a slit in front of a bright light source. We recommend our ray box S42580B used in conjunction with our S19437A power supply. Arrange the prism so that it is in front of the light beam. An acrylic prism will work the best since it disperses light more readily than does glass. Rotate the prism until the maximum dispersion of light is obtained.

Wire diameter is specified using the AWG numbers from 0 to 40. The larger the number, the smaller the wire diameter. A partial list of wire gauges and their corresponding diameters (in mm) is shown below:

Wire Gauge Wire Diameter (mm) 10 2.588 11 2.305 12 2.053 13 1.828 14 .1.628 15 1.450 16 1.291 17 1.150 18 1.024 19 0.912 20 .0.812 21 0.723 22 0.644 23 0.573 24 0.511 25 0.455 26 0.405 27 0.361 28 0.321 29 0.286 30 0.255

Alnico magnets consist of aluminum, nickel, cobalt, copper, and iron. Alnico magnets are mechanically strong and have high-residual magnetic field strengths. Neodymium magnets consist of neodymium, iron, boron, and a few transition metals. Since Neodymium is considered to be a rare earth material (one of the Lanthanide series in the periodic table), these magnets are also known as Rare Earth Magnets. Neodymium magnets have the highest residual magnetic field strengths but tend to be more brittle than other magnets.

Over 90% of products are shipped from our Rochester, New York warehouse. In some cases your order will be shipped directly from the manufacturer. Fisher laboratory furniture is shipped from the Fisher Hamilton factory in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

If you are not tax-exempt, yes. Fisher Scientific is an international company with a presence in most of our 50 states. By law, customers are required to pay taxes applicable to their state if the company from which they order is located within their state.

Yes. Virtually anything from our catalog can be ordered with a credit card with the exception of balances, chemicals and live material. We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

Our fax number is 800.955.0740.

Yes, if you use a tax-exempt credit card. If you do not use a tax-exempt credit card, we are required by law to apply taxes even if you have the tax-exempt certificate.

Whether it's plants, fish or protozoa, a delivery date is critical. If the live material is not used or cared for immediately, it could die, so it's best to plan your delivery within a couple days of your class activity.

Many chemicals require special handling and must be shipped motor freight. It pays to plan ahead, so if you are ordering chemicals, it's a good idea that you order all the chemicals you need on one order to save on shipping costs. In addition, a $6 per order hazardous handling fee will be added to cover preparing the chemicals for shipping.

When your shipment comes in, please remember to count the number of boxes and check for external damage before signing the bill of lading. Any external damage or missing packages should be noted on the bill of lading before the carrier leaves your premises. Someone counted incorrectly? Give us a call at 800.955.1177. Any damaged Fisher Hamilton furniture shipments can be easily resolved by simply calling one of the names listed on the bill of lading at Fisher Hamilton. They will give you specific information that needs to be included on the bill of lading.

Fisher Science Education has a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Just give us a call, and we can arrange for a replacement or refund.

Our Federal ID number is 232-942-737.

Fisher Science Education is the education division of Fisher Scientific. We serve customers from elementary schools up through college.

Fisher Science Education
4500 Turnberry Drive
Hanover Park, IL 60133

Phone: 800.955.1177
Fax: 800.955.0740
E-mail: info@fisheredu.com

A group of master teachers have joined the Fisher Faculty Program as a way to keep in touch with educators as they approach retirement from classroom teaching. We are excited to have these distinguished educators as part of our sales team. As consultants, their experience and knowledge can help you select the best products for your science classroom.

The modern periodic table was introduced by H. G. Deming in his 1923 text on Chemistry. In this text the group IVA column was used for elements of the Carbon family (Carbon, Silicon, Germanium, Tin, and Lead). Europeans, on the other hand, gave the IVA column label to the elements Titanium, Zirconium and Hafnium. This created confusion, so the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) met in 1970 to work out a compromise. The IUPAC decided to adopt the European system as the standard. Chemists and teachers, trained using Deming’s book, generally ignored the new system. In 1983, a new system was recommended that disposed of the A and B letters once and for all. The new chart would have columns labeled 1-18. This numbering system was unfamiliar to chemists and departed from Mendeleev’s original numbering of the table. In addition, many chemical educators thought it made the periodic table less useful as a teaching tool for beginning students. Despite the complaints, this standard remains to this day.

There were also issues regarding the naming of newly discovered elements. In August 1997, the IUPAC gave its endorsement to a compromise slate of names for elements 101 to 109. Elements 104 and 106 were named Rutherfordium and Seaborgium respectively—names suggested by the Berkeley, California group. Element 105 was named Dubnium to acknowledge contributions by the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Elements 107, 108, and 109 were named Bohrium, Hassium, and Meitnerium—Names suggested by the heavy ion research facility in Darmstadt, Germany, known as GSI. Elements 110 through 112 have yet to be named

When strong acids (like hydrochloric or sulfuric acid) or bases (like sodium hydroxide) are diluted with water, heat is generated. This heat can get so intense that spattering of the mixture could result. To avoid this situation, always add the acid or base to water and not water to the acid or base. For protection, a laboratory apron, gloves and chemical splash goggles should be worn. Use of a face-shield, such as the S47600-3 or the S47600-1, offers an extra measure of protection against chemical splashes. Most important of all, add the acid or base very slowly to the water and stir constantly.

In our K-12 Elementary Science Education Catalog! Browse it online, or order a free copy.

There are four major things you need to take into consideration:

1. The size of your budget will determine how many or what type of items you purchase.
2. Your class size will determine how you want to group activities.
3. You will want to spend part of your budget on fun demonstration items to grab your students' attention and create interest.
4. Consider a variety of hands-on products such as batteries, bulb sockets, and spring-binding post switches.