Some chemicals are harmless; others can kill you! Until you are familiar with the chemicals you are using in the lab, always ask an instructor for help. There are a few basic points about chemical safety to bear in mind: Never mess with an unlabeled chemical. It may be corrosive and dangerous to your skin, and mixing it with other chemicals could produce toxic fumes or even an explosion. Know the difference between an acid and a base. Every chemical has a property known as the "pH" which indicates its concentration of hydrogen ions. In chemistry, each chemical's pH is determined on a scale from 0 to 14 with 0 being "very acidic," 7 being "neutral," and 14 being "very basic." Both acidic and basic chemicals can be dangerous and corrosive to your skin and can create dangerous chemical reactions when mixed. For example, battery acid is a dangerous acid and lye and ammonia are dangerous bases. Add acids to water instead of the other way around. Adding water to an acid will cause heat to build up, and may cause an explosion. Bleach is a particularly dangerous but common chemical. Never mix bleach with acids or bases, such as ammonia or other household cleaners. Doing so can produce a toxic gas that can be fatal if inhaled. If you're not sure whether chemicals are safe to combine, do not combine them. Never use mouth suction to fill a pipette with a chemical. You may inhale or accidentally swallow some. Instead, always use a bulb syringe. All well-equipped chemistry labs have sources of heat like a Bunsen burner or electric heating coil, in order to complete various chemical experiments. These heat sources are often the source of accidents in the lab, ranging from minor burns from handling hot glassware to clothing or hair accidentally set on fire from a Bunsen burner. Always practice extra caution around sources of heat and fire. Do not reach across open flames or heat sources, which could set your sleeve on fire or burn your arm. Glass tubing is a frequent cause of lab accidents, as it can snap into sharp pieces if you forget to lubricate it before sealing it with a stopper or cork. Other dangers include beakers that might be accidentally dropped, particularly because they can be awkward to handle while wearing gloves. Move slowly and deliberately in the lab to avoid breaking glass and causing cuts or other damage. If you break glassware in the lab on accident, be careful while disposing of it; the shards are sharp and may cut you, even through protective gloves. Never use beakers or burners that are damaged in any way. A cracked beaker may explode when heated. While some accidents are unpredictable, most lab accidents are the result of negligence, horsing around, or not following instructions and thus can be totally prevented by being mindful and having the right attitude while in a lab setting. Listen to the instructor and follow directions. Now is not the time to be adventurous or try your own thing. Save chatting with your friends or goofing off for after lab is over. You need to focus on what you're doing so that you can stay safe. Running, dancing, being loud and boisterous, or any other kind of horseplay is dangerous and not a mature way to behave in a lab.

Summary: Be smart about chemicals and the dangers they pose. Watch out for sources of heat. Avoid breaking glassware. Have the right attitude.

Keeping your situation under wraps minimizes the embarrassment and helps avoid becoming a target for police officers and criminals alike. Rotate among several parking locations to avoid getting noticed. When you move around in the parked car, move slowly to avoid rocking the car. When it's sunny in the daytime, use a sunshade for the windshield. You may find that you need and want more privacy than windows offer. There are a few cheap ways to gain this privacy. Reflective window shades in your back and front window help. Similarly fold up shades on the side windows are good. You can also buy some cheap cloth and either stuff them in the windows, tape them in, or hold them in place by magnets. Black cloth is best for privacy and blocking out light. If you can afford it, and local laws allow, and you don't mind driving with it, get your windows tinted as dark as legally possible. This along with the front sunshade and dark cloth or towels can provide a lot of privacy. If you hang a towel or cloth on an untinted window, it screams homeless person. You hang the same on a tinted window it'll be impossible to see inside and won't draw attention. Keep the windows cracked open while you sleep, not wide enough for someone to reach in, but enough to allow fresh air and reduce condensation on the windows.
Summary: Be discreet.