Portal and samples

Adding samples and their chemical components to a proposal

When you add your proposal to the Bragg Institute Customer Portal you are required to add the details of your samples and their components. This is done using a database of chemical compounds and associated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that is part of the portal. The information we require allows us to keep track of samples within our facility and to satisfy legislation relating to chemical and radiation hazards. It is important that you provide us with accurate information for the health and safety of all users and staff.

How are chemical compounds and MSDSs are presented on the database?
There are around 380000 chemical compounds on the database. A number of these have MSDSs attached to them. These MSDSs are in a common format, provided by ChemWatch (a company that creates MSDSs for ANSTO). Chemical compounds on the database that have a ChemWatch MSDS attached appear with an “MSDS” hyperlink next to the name, as shown below. Clicking on the link, while in the portal, will bring up the pdf of the MSDS.

The  icon can be selected to open a window to give you more information about that compound. Chemical compounds that do not have an MSDS hyperlink need to have an MSDS added before the compound can be brought on-site.

How is the information used?
The information entered for your samples and the chemical hazard information from the database are combined within the database to produce barcoded labels. These are attached to your samples or their holders/containers when they arrives and is used to track your samples throughout their time here, as well as provide information about the samples and any chemical hazards.

How do I add a sample to my proposal?
Samples are added during the preparation of the proposal. In the samples section of the proposal you add a sample and then add the chemical components to it. All samples must have at least one chemical component added to it. Click "add sample" and enter the sample name. Click "add/create chemical or component" to add chemical components to the sample. This will bring you to the search window for the chemical compounds database. After you have added the components fill in the remaining details regarding state and hazards and click "save". Click on "return to sample list" to add another sample or to edit samples.

How do I search for a chemical component? 
Chemical compounds can be searched by name, CAS number or chemical formula in the search window. Type in the name, number or formula and select "name", "CAS number" or "formula" from the drop down menu and then "equals", "begins" or "contains" from the second drop down menu. Click search to begin the search. The search results will be displayed in a list. To select a compound, click on the green tick. It will be added to your sample. You can continue adding compounds to your sample by clicking "add/create chemical or component". Please enter a weight or volume (with units) for each component.

What if the chemical compound is not on the database?
If the chemical compound you have is not on the database, you can add it to the database by creating a new chemical. Please make sure you thoroughly search the database before adding a compound. At the bottom of the chemical compound search results there is section called "Add a new chemical". FIll in the Name, CAS (CAS number), Formula and Note fields. Click on create to create the compound. You will also need to attach the MSDS or complete the MSDS form as described below. A red question mark will appear next to the compound name to indicate that it yet to be verified. Any information you add will be verified by the User Office.

What if there is no MSDS for the compound?
In these cases you need to attach an MSDS (pdf only) for that chemical compound. This can be done by clicking on the  icon and attaching the MSDS in pdf format. Uploaded MSDSs will be verified by the User Office. If you do not have the MSDS in pdf format email it to the User Office and it will be converted and uploaded for you. If you do not have an MSDS for the chemical compound/sample, you will need to complete the MSDS compilation form. Complete the form with as much detail as possible, making sure to include the CAS number (available from Scifinder Scholar). Either attach this form as a pdf (as you would for an MSDS) or email it to the Lab Manager. MSDSs added to the system and MSDS compilation forms will be converted to ChemWatch format and updated on the system.

What if I'm bringing extra samples or other chemicals with me?
All chemical compounds being brought to the facility must have an MSDS. The best way to do this is to add these as samples (for example: create a sample called "user chemicals" and add the compounds as components of this sample) on your proposal so that we have the MSDS for them.

How far ahead do I need to provide an MSDS before I can bring the sample in?
When adding a chemical compound or an MSDS, you will need to allow 6 weeks before you plan to bring the sample in.  This is the time taken for a ChemWatch MSDS to be created and the information from it to be added to the sample database so that hazard information can be available for the sample labels.

How do I add solid solutions or mixtures of chemicals?
When adding a sample that is a solid solution or mixture of chemical compounds, you can select the individual components of the sample and add them individually. In other words, you do not need an MSDS for the whole sample, just MSDSs for each part. For example, a cobalt oxide sample in solid solution with titanium oxide. You would call the sample ‘cobalt oxide titanium oxide’ (or some other meaningful name) then add the components (CoO and TiO2) from the chemical database to that sample.

What if I have several samples that contain the same compounds in varying proportion?
If you have a sample that has one or more of its components in varying proportion, for example Ba(1-x)Ca(x)Nb2O9 where x varies between 0.1 and 0.8. In these situations you would provide MSDSs for both ends of the range, i.e for Ba(0.9)Ca(0.1)Nb2O9 and for Ba(0.2)Ca(0.8)Nb2O9 only. You can do this by providing an MSDS for each in pdf format or by completing an MSDS compilation form for each. The same applies for mixtures of chemical compounds, you will need to supply the MSDS, or fill in the MSDS compilation form, for both ends of the range.