For example:

Acetone: Highly flammable and volatile. Avoid ignition sources. Miscible with water – use water for fire suppression. Avoid inhalation and skin contact, but don’t freak out if either accidentally happens because it really won’t hurt you. Don’t drink it.

NaOH: Corrosive. Don’t get it on your skin, and don’t get it in your eyes at all. Flush with water if either of the above happens. Don’t eat it.

tBuLi: Pyrophoric – ignites spontaneously on contact with air, making it very hazardous. Assuming that the tBuLi is dissolved in a flammable solvent such as hexane, this means that all the carrier solvent will ignite spontaneously on contact with air. Must be stored and transferred under an inert atmosphere at all times, and must be handled with extreme caution. Use great care when transferring it via syringe, and ensure that you’re familiar with appropriate handling practices.

Sodium bicarbonate: Harmless, period.

Sodium chloride: Harmless, period.

I can say that when i left my university for summer research I saw some crazy stuff by undergrads, grad students, and even profs! i was working in a nanofab lab this past summer and we used 6 M HF for etchant. Almost everyone in the lab just used safety glasses and non-resistant gloves – no face mask, thicker gloves, or even safety goggles! there were also engineers in the lab who were more freaking out about not having gloves on when they were using acetone – not realizing that it will go right through the gloves and won’t do anything horrible to you.

i know you talk is probably over, but with safety most people just need to know to be aware of what’s going on around them and not to assume anything. I know that lot’s of times people want to talk “smart” about safety, going into all the chemical details on how things react and why bad things are going on, but when something goes wrong, that’s not going to matter. awareness is the key. educate students on what they should be aware of and what to do if something slips by.

I’m sure that every department has that one grad student that just seems bent on doing their own thing and if something happens to them nobody will be surprised. If that person happens to work near you then it’s imperative to remain vigilant, even if you’re following all safety protocols.

It’s the things that you don’t expect that seem to provide the worst lessons.

1. My talk was to graduate students, all of whom, it is a fair assumption to make, are no longer dependents of their parents, financially or otherwise.

2. Legally, as I am an employee of the school and was at the time acting as an employee of the school, they can’t sue me without suing the school and department as well. Furthermore, the prof who was in charge of the class would be the most responsible party.

3. This talk goes above and beyond the legally-required lab safety training as mandated by OSHA, which all graduate students are required to go through before they even step in a lab here.

I hope that in agreeing to give the talk in place of a faculty member you have considered (and been satsified) with the legal ramifications should an accident happen after your “tuition”.

Someone’s parents are bound to sue your ass as you “did not tell them” something. A faculty member would probably be at least a co-defendee with the Chair of the department with some University backing / support.