The Laboratory – The Place Where Experiments Are Done

A laboratorium is a place that offers controlled environments where scientific experimentation, research, and measurements can be performed. Laboratorium services are offered in various settings: hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, national and regional medical referral centers, educational facilities, research and development laboratories, and technical schools. In most instances, the laboratorium is the largest building on or near a site and serves as an important control center for many scientific processes. Laboratoriums also contain equipment and devices that enable specific scientific procedures to be conducted and measured accurately.
| The Laboratory – The Place Where Experiments Are Done

A laboratorium is a place that offers controlled environments where scientific experimentation, research, and measurements can be performed. Laboratorium services are offered in various settings: hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, national and regional medical referral centers, educational facilities, research and development laboratories, and technical schools. In most instances, the laboratorium is the largest building on or near a site and serves as an important control center for many scientific processes. Laboratoriums also contain equipment and devices that enable specific scientific procedures to be conducted and measured accurately.

The majority of laboratories built today employ state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. High-end analytical equipment such as Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS), Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GHS), Ion Analysis Mass Spectrography (IAMS), and other high performance instruments are used to achieve precise and reliable results. Some testing procedures are too sensitive for or too complex for a standard desktop GLCU or IRAQ instrument. Because these newer instruments can perform more delicate tests, they must be housed in a specially designed, climate-controlled environment.

The primary use of a laboratorium is to test materials and perform complicated analysis techniques. For example, solid carbon isotope ratios (Sr values) may be determined using liquid nitrogen and a mass spectrometer. The temperature and humidity of the test area and the type of analytical method to be used will affect equipment performance. In addition, certain analytical techniques cannot be applied at all if the lab is subjected to low temperatures or is located in an area with low humidity. Therefore, several steps must be taken to protect the equipment from temperature fluctuations, moisture, vibration, or exposure to dust.

Laboratoriums frequently house multiple types of analytical instruments. These instruments include chemists and nuclear analysis instruments as well as spectrometers for mass and molecular analysis. Because a large number of different instruments must be installed and operated in a laboratory, these large facilities often house separate rooms for each type of test. Rooms may also be divided by various floor levels and connected by elevators and other means.

Different types of tests must be administered in a laboratorium. Samples must first be collected by a trained, specialized technician and then analyzed. Methods of analysis depend on the test being performed and the nature of the sample. The sterile environment in which the samples are gathered and analyzed provides the best testing conditions. In addition to providing the best possible testing conditions, this process also prevents contamination of work surfaces by airborne particulates and therefore reduces any risk of disease from contamination.

Laboratoriums are generally constructed out of concrete slabs, but can also be constructed out of stone or steel. Because concrete slabs tend to absorb excessive amounts of moisture, concrete laboratories are usually located in dry climates. However, wood can also be used as a laboratorium, as well as a laboratory. The wood structure may incorporate interior partitions for conducting biological experiments.