II Useful Information

Cluster for Molecular Chemistry

Information & Safety Manual
Molecular Chemistry Cluster January 2018

  1. Check in
  2. Basics
  3. Illness
  4. Environment, Health and Safety
  5. Ordering Chemicals
  6. Computers
  7. List of instrumentation
  8. Check out
  9. Disclaimer
  1. Check in

Every student that is going to fulfil a traineeship within the Molecular Chemistry Cluster at the Radboud University Nijmegen has to check in first. This means that the check-in form (pdf, 25 kB), the Internship Agreement, and the Confidentiality Agreement, have to be filled in and signed. Choose the right links:

  1. Basics

The Molecular Chemistry Cluster allows flexible working hours although it is most common to work between 8.30 and 17.30.

The Huygens building is open between 6.30 and 21.30 on Monday to Friday and between 9.30 and 16.00 on Saturday. All people, PhD students, post-docs, visiting students, undergraduate students and staff members need a campus card to obtain entrance to the wings that belong to the cluster. Access to the wings can be requested by the secretaries. Students have access to the wings on Monday to Friday between 8.00 and 19.00. The campus card gives for employees (including PhD students and post-docs) also access to the Huygens building outside opening hours, however a PIN-code needs to be entered.

There is an in/out-board attached to the entrance door of each wing with the names of PhD students, post-docs and permanent staff members working in that wing. It is important that whenever you are in the building, you mark yourself as in and whenever you go outside the department, you mark yourself as out.

  1. Illness

In case you are ill, you must call one of the secretaries, Désirée van der Wey (024-3652676), Marieke Egbertzen (024-3652091) or Paula Willems (024- 3653421) and they will inform your mentor and colleagues. It is also important to inform the secretary when you have resumed working.

If you have any complaints that could indicate RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), please contact Marieke Egbertzen. Adjustments to the workplace could prevent further RSI complaints.

  1. Environment, Health and Safety

This manual contains a section on safety, which gives information on safe working procedures, and what to do in case of an accident. Please read this carefully and make sure you know all regulations described. In principle, you have the main responsibility that your behaviour guarantees your own and your colleagues’ safety. In order to gain access to the laboratories, a safety test will be conducted. If you make more than 5 mistakes (out of 35), a chemical buddy will be assigned to supervise you on safety in the lab untill he is satisfied. The chemical buddy will be together with the head of the department decide when supervision is no longer necessary.

If a member of staff violates a safety regulation, his/her manager will immediately call the member of staff to account at an interview. The interview will be recorded in writing and signed by the manager. The report will describe the reason, the actions of the member of staff (whether correct or incorrect) and the warning issued regarding the possibility of far-reaching legal measures in the event of a subsequent violation. In this way, violation of regulations is dealt with both directly and indirectly. Depending on the circumstances, the corrective interview will be conducted by the manager and the Dean of the Faculty. Subsequent violations or very serious situations may result in far-reaching legal measures being imposed, including removal from certain tasks, reallocation of duties, compulsory transfer, an irreparable breach of confidence, a request to the UWV Employee Insurance Agency to sanction dismissal, the start of dismissal proceedings in the district court and in extreme situations, summary dismissal (urgent reasons). In the event of a violation, the member of staff must be told immediately that his/her conduct is unacceptable and should not be repeated.

Each lab has its own Safety Steward (see list of room responsibles) to ensure a safe environment in the lab. If anyone is not following the correct safety procedures, it is the responsibility of the Safety Steward to report this to that particular person and the relevant work group leader. Furthermore, in each lab there is a Lab Steward who is responsible for the running of the lab.

People who intend to do chemical work in the laboratories of the Cluster for Molecular Chemistry but do not themselves have a background in chemistry (physics, biology, or any education in which they did not follow practical courses in Chemistry at Bachelor level in an institute of higher education - University or ‘HBO’) must make sure that they have a ‘chemical buddy’ in their laboratory wing, i.e. someone who has the requested chemical background with whom they discuss their chemical work.

If you have questions or problems regarding safety, please discuss them with your mentor and the Safety steward. For other problems, such as misbehaviour, unwanted behaviour, sexual harassment, intimidation, teasing/bullying, gossip, and any other behaviour at the department that you find annoying or that disturbs your work, you can discuss this with your group leader. If you don’t want this for any reason, you can talk confidentially to a so-called trusted person (Dutch: “vertrouwenspersoon”).  See http://www.ru.nl/english/about-us/our-university/integrity-conduct/confidential/  (English) or http://www.ru.nl/over-ons/overradboud/integriteitsbeleid/vertrouwenspersonen/  (Dutch).

  1. Ordering Chemicals

The program used for ordering chemicals, both internal and external orders, is Labservant (https://labservant.science.ru.nl). PhD-students, post-docs, and permanent staff members can login with their u number. If an undergraduate student needs to order chemicals he/she has to ask his/her mentor.

Internally ordered chemicals will be delivered, twice per day, in the Logistic Transfer Rooms. Externally ordered chemicals will be delivered personally or at the location that is printed on the Labservant label.

When a container is empty and contains a Labservant label it should be removed from Labservant by using “Scan out containers” in Labservant.

Any other necessities (e.g. equipment) can be ordered from Peter van Dijk and Theo Peters.

Daily used consumables can be obtained from Jan Dommerholt and Peter van Dijk.

If you have any chemicals that you don’t use anymore, put them back in the transfer room. They will be stored in the Logistic Centre and available for internal orders. Chemicals without bar code will not be taken away.

  1. Computers

Computers and laptops should be used responsibly. Each person is responsible for making sure that the computer he/she is using has an up to date virus scanner and Firewall, and that his/her work is regularly backed up. Research results are the most important data. The researcher is responsible for the backing-up of his or her own data, to prevent losing important files in case of a computer crash. All shared folders on the network should be read-only. Software for computers can be obtained via this link, http://wiki.science.ru.nl/cncz/Categorie:Software. It is only possible to access this computer within the network. Software for computers can be obtained via this link. It is only possible to access this computer within the network. Underneath you will find a short list of some of the available software and some useful links.

Chemistry-related software

The offices have furniture (tables, chairs) that can in principle be adjusted for your personal needs. Be aware that use of a laptop computer without a separate keyboard and mouse can give rise to RSI/KANS (repetitive strain injuries). More information can be found on https://www.radboudnet.nl/veiligengezond/veiligheid/arbeidsomstandigheden/

Useful links:

C&CZ security wiki http://wiki.science.ru.nl/cncz/ICT-Beveiligingscampagne
C&CZ software wiki http://wiki.science.ru.nl/cncz/Categorie:Software
Booking site for general equipment https://bookings.science.ru.nl/
Reaxys (search for reaction conditions, structures, literature) https://www.reaxys.com/
Google Scholar (scientific webcrawler) http://scholar.google.com/
RU Library http://www.ru.nl/ubn/
Oracle (time cards, internal lab supplies, expensive requests) https://bass.ru.nl/
RUQUEST (on-line request of literature) https://ru.on.worldcat.org/
Web-of-Science (search for literature) http://www.webofknowledge.com
Cambridge Structural Database (X-ray <1000D) http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/products/csd/
Brookhaven Crystallographic DB (X-ray >1000 D) http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/
IUPAC Nomenclature http://picarta.pica.nl/ http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iupac/

Finally here is a summary of useful symbols for your presentations/publications: symbols

  1. List of instrumentation

Keys of every lab and office equipment can be obtained from Peter van Dijk

Instrumentation that can be used can be found on site https://www.ru.nl/bio-orgchem/instrumentation/.

They can be booked on the booking site https://bookings.science.ru.nl/
A short manual for the 500 MHz NMR can found here.

Important: For all equipment a short course is obligatory. Do not use any equipment if you do not know how it works. Ask the responsible person.

  1. Check out

There are several things that have to be done prior to permanently leaving the Molecular Chemistry Cluster.

Checklist: There is a checklist for people who are leaving the cluster. You obtain it from the secretary upon arrival, but you can also print this pdf-file (Checklist for leaving the cluster (pdf, 55 kB)). Some important issues on that list are discussed in more detail below.

Chemicals: All products that you want to keep after you leave should be well labelled with your name, the date it was made, an experimental reference number, a structural formula and stored in containers. Anything left in round-bottom flasks or not properly labelled will be thrown away. Make sure that you make a sample file which contains structures, purities, quantities and locations of the products and handed over to your mentor.

Make sure that any chemicals registered in Labservant in your name are returned to the Logistics Centre or transferred to a colleague.

Data: All data on computer should be burnt to CD and one copy given to your mentor, one to your work group leader and one for the archive. Then everything should be erased from the cluster's computers, and all email accounts on windows should be removed. This includes all instrument computers such as the CD spectrometer etc. Inform the administrator(s) that all data have been backed up and can be deleted. Anything required for the writing of reports or theses should be copied and removed, unless the report is being written in the cluster. All paper data should be given to the work group leader upon completion of the report or thesis.

  1. Disclaimer

This is meant as a guideline to the workings of the cluster and is in no way fully complete. If anyone has any questions or comments on anything in this manual then you can ask anybody working around you.