The General Chemistry Laboratory is primarily used for the Freshman General Chemistry Laboratory course (Ch111), which is required for all first year Engineering students. It is equipped with 8 fume hoods and 4 additional drop vents. The fume hoods are equipped with working cold water, vacuum, and compressed air lines. Bench space is sufficient for a maximum capacity of 16 students. The laboratory has a working safety shower and 5 eye wash stations, as well as rated fire extinguishers. There are 5 sinks, and deionized water is provided from a station next to the sink at the rear of the laboratory. There are two drying ovens in the laboratory. A dedicated area is set aside for hazardous waste disposal, with labeled containers provided for broken glass and syringes (used in gas chromatography, see below).

Other equipment in this laboratory available for student use includes 10 digital pH meters and 10 Thermo-Spectronic Genesys 20 UV-Vis digital spectrophotometers. The pH meters and spectrophotometers are inspected and tested each semester by the department’s instrumentation technician before student use.

The Freshman Laboratories are taught by the Chemistry Department faculty, including full-time and adjunct faculty members. The students are instructed in proper safety procedures at the beginning of the semester and are taught the proper use of all the instruments throughout the semester by their respective instructor.