Chemical Inventory

1. From the home page, click Search Chemicals. You may search by CAS #, name, molecular formula, or by molecular structure.

2. To search by molecular structure, click the Substructure tab (next to Keyword). You may then draw a substructure using the Marvin JS chemical structure tool, and items in your inventory with this substructure will appear below. 
3. If you would like to filter your search results by Location or Tag, click on the respective dropdown menu and choose the appropriate sublocation or tag.

1. From the home page, click Inventory Summary, then scroll down to ‘Import & Export.’

2. Click Download Inventory Data.

You may find it helpful to print out this Excel sheet and compare it with what chemicals you have in the lab or shop in order to make the necessary updates within Chemicals. (See: Add Items, Deleting Items, Editing Items) 

IMPORTANT: Updating the Excel file and using the ‘Import’ function is NOT recommended . Please note this function will only add to what already exists in your inventory, therefore duplicating those items. 

• Deleting your inventory and replacing it with an updated Excel file via import would still require re-matching all items, which is a tedious and time-consuming process.

• The Import function is intended for a large batch of new items that weren’t previously in your inventory.

1. From the home page, click +Add to Inventory in the middle of the page. You can search by CAS #, name, GHS, or product number. Press Enter, and a list of items will appear. 
2. Select the chemical that most represents your item by clicking on its title. 
3. Under Containers, click the + on the right to add the chemical to your inventory. Fill out all required fields in the item information page. All required fields are marked with an asterisk. 

   

   1. The required fields Chemical Name and Physical State will populate automatically and everything else will need to be filled out manually. 
   2. The Barcode field is required for most items and can be filled in manually, or by using a scanner that's connected to the computer, or within the Add Inventory function on the mobile RSS Chemicals app. Please note - this field refers to the UC-provided barcode tags, not the manufacturer's barcode already on the container.
   3. The Container Size field only accepts numbers, while units are to be selected in the separate Units field.
   4. The Amount in Containermust be less than or equal to the Container Size. The Amount in Container will autofill to Container Size. You may edit the field if you wish.  
   5. You also must choose a Location to place the material in. If the desired location is not listed, refer to Adding a Location below to create a new sublocation. 
   6. If your material is in solution with a solvent, you may enter the solvent and concentration in the appropriate fields. 

4. Once you are done filling out the form, click Save.

Some less common items that you need to add may not be found in the Add to Inventory search. To add these items, select the vertical ellipsis (three dots) menu icon on the right, across from Add Chemical. Here you will see two choices: Add Commercial Substance, or Add Novel Compound. 

IF YOUR MATERIAL IS A PRODUCT OR CHEMICAL THAT WAS ONCE PURCHASED FROM A MANUFACTURER

1. Select Add Commercial Substance. 
2. Enter in required fields as well as any other fields you have information for. 
   
   1. The more information that is entered, the better the Chemicals' Library Management Team can verify the substance. 
   2. Additional notes: 
      
      1. The product number is not the same as the CAS number. If there is no product number, please enter the chemical name. 
      2. SMILES stands for “Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System” and is another way to represent the chemical structure - it is a voluntary field. 
3. When you have completed the form, select Save. 
4. Click the + sign next to Containers to add this item to your inventory. 

IF YOUR MATERIAL IS SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER EXISTED BEFORE AND WAS FORMULATED WITHIN YOUR LAB

1. Select Add Novel Compound. 
2. Enter the name of your compound, physical state, and anything else you know about the material. 
3. When you have completed the form, select Save. 
4. Click the + sign next to Containers to add this item to your inventory.

The steps listed below describe how to delete items in your inventory

1. From the home page, select Search Chemicals.
2. Enter the name of the desired chemical. 
3. Select the desired chemical from the search results. 
4. Scroll down to the Containers section.
5. Select the vertical ellipsis (three dots) to the right of one of the containers and select Remove.
   • The container is then placed in a queue to delete. This list will appear on the right side of the screen.
   • You will also see this container is now labeled Marked for Deletion.

6. If you have more containers you would like to delete, add them to the queue by clicking the trash can icon(s) next to the additional containers. 
   • You may also add containers of other chemicals to this queue. To find other chemicals to delete:
     • Return to Search Chemicals by pressing the back button, or by selecting the collapsed menu (three lines) icon at upper left and clicking Search Chemicals.
     • Search for the chemical and the containers you want to delete.
     • Click the trash can icon of any container you wish to remove. 
7. When you have completed adding to your deletion queue, click the red Delete button at the bottom of the queue bar (lower right). 
   • You will then be asked to confirm whether you want to complete this action. Click Confirm if you are sure you want to remove these containers, or Cancel if you wish to back out.

The steps below describe how to edit items to your inventory. 

1. From the home page, select Search Chemicals

2. Enter the name of the desired chemical. 

3. Select the desired chemical from the search results.

4. Scroll down to the ‘Containers’ section.

5. Select the vertical ellipsis (three dots) to the right of one of the containers you would like to edit and select Edit.

6. Make any appropriate changes to the data fields on the ‘Edit Container’ page.

7. Once you have completed making your edits, click Save

This function allows you to move select containers of a sublocation to another room or sublocation within your lab. The steps listed below are analogous to the Delete function. 

1. From the home page, select Search Chemicals.
2. Enter the name of the desired chemical. 
3. Select the desired chemical from the search results. 
4. Scroll down to the Containers section.
5. Select the vertical ellipsis (three dots) to the right of one of the containers and select Move.
   • The container is then placed in a queue to move. This list will appear on the right side of the screen.
   • You will also see this container is now labeled Marked to Move.

6. If you have more containers you would like to move to the same sublocation you are moving your first container to, add them to the queue by clicking the arrow icons next to the additional containers (if you wish to move other containers to a different sublocation, you will need wait before you’ve completed the move to this sublocation first).
   • You may also add containers of other chemicals to Containers to Move queue:
     • Return to Search Chemicals by pressing the back button, or by selecting the collapsed menu (three lines) icon at upper left and clicking Search Chemicals.
     • Search for the chemical and the containers you want to move.
     • Click the arrow icon of any container you wish to place in the Containers to Move queue. 
7. When you have completed adding containers to your move queue, click the blue Move button at the bottom of the queue bar (lower right). 
   
   • You will then be presented with a prompt requesting which sublocation you would like to move the containers to. After selecting the sublocation, click Confirm if you are sure you want to move these containers, or Cancel if you wish to back out.

Chemical inventories must be certified at least once per year (i.e., the certification date must be within a year from the current date). Once the chemical inventory is accurate for all rooms, it can be certified by the owner or manager. To certify the inventory:

1. From the home page, click on Inventory Summary. 
2. Click Certify orRecertify Inventory (in the middle of the screen next to Inventory Overview).

To print door hazard signs: 

1. From the home page, select Inventory Summary. 

2. Scroll down to the Door Hazard Signs section. 

3. Select the room that you would like to create a door hazard sign for. You will be redirected to the door hazard sign view mode. 

4. Inventory owners and delegates can edit Emergency Contact information and the Additional Detail field. To make any edits, click the three dots circle in lower right, then click Edit. Click into the area you’d like to edit, make edits, click Save. Then return to view mode by clicking three dots circle, click View.

5. Print by pressing Ctrl+P (Windows) or Command+P (Mac). 

If you do not have a color printer, email Russ Blackmar at cheminv@berkeley.edu to request a door hazard sign.

In Chemicals, locations may refer to sublocations or rooms. Sublocations are the areas within your room where items are stored (e.g., flammable cabinet, -30 freezer, Joan’s bench, Shelf 4C, etc.). Only owners or managers are able to create new sublocations.

If you need to add a new room to your inventory, you must do so in the Labs @ Berkeley Roster Tool. Visit our Labs @ Berkeley page for details.

To create a new sublocation in Chemicals:

1. From the home page, click on Inventory Summary.
2. Scroll down until you reach the Sublocations heading at the bottom of the page.

3. Click + on the right, and then fill in the required fields (Temperature and Pressure default to Ambient and can be edited as needed). 
4. If the sublocation stores a particular hazard class, you may mark it by clicking the appropriate pictogram. 
5. After inputting the information, click Save and this should then appear as a location option when you add new chemicals. 

• Inventory Owner: The Principal Investigator (PI) or otherwise responsible person for the inventory. Responsible for making sure the inventory is accurate and updated annually.

• Manager / Delegate: The person or persons who have been designated by the Inventory Owner as someone who can perform all the functions of the Inventory Owner, including the ability to certify the inventory (on the Inventory Owner’s behalf), create sublocations, receive certification notifications, etc.

• Member: The person or persons who belong to the group and have the ability to view and edit the inventory. However, they are not able to certify or do other higher level administrative functions that the Inventory Owner or Manager / Delegate are able to do. 

Editing your Inventory’s Member List:

Members that have access to your inventory are listed in the ‘Inventory Access’ section on the ‘Inventory Summary’ page. Click the arrow next to ‘Members’ to expand the list in order to view your members. 

• This list can only be edited using Labs @ Berkeley (L@B)

• To learn how to add, remove or designate roles in L@B, see L@B instructions

• After adding, deleting or changing a role for a member in L@B, the change should then be reflected in Chemicals roughly 30 minutes later. 

There are many other features and functions in Chemicals. Many of these are explained in-depth on the Chemicals Help page. You can also navigate here by clicking the question mark icon at the top right of your Chemicals screen.

BARCODING/SCANNING

If interested, labs may learn how to set up their own labs for barcoding. If you have questions about barcoding your inventory, please contact Russ Blackmar at cheminv@berkeley.edu. Please note barcoding and scanning are not required at this time.

SHARING/BORROWING ITEMS

You may request to borrow items from a Colleague Lab (below) or from someone on campus by selecting the Campus Request box on the page of the chemical you want to borrow. 

TRANSFERRING ITEMS

You may transfer ownership of items to another Inventory owner on campus by selecting Transfer from the vertical ellipses next to the item. If you wish to relocate an item within your lab, simply edit the Location of the item.

CLONING ITEMS

If you are adding multiple containers of the same amount of the same material, the easiest way to do this is by using the Clone function. After you have added one item, click the vertical ellipsis (three dots) to the right of the item and select Clone. 

TAGGING ITEMS

In the ‘Inventory Summary’ section, tags may be created (by a manager or owner) to reflect items used for a certain experiment, process, user, etc. (e.g., “Friedel-Crafts Reaction”, “Judy’s Items”, etc). When you then add or edit an item, you can attach the appropriate tag to it. Items can be searched by tag. 

CHECKING OUT ITEMS

You may checkout items to yourself or other people on campus. This allows your lab to know who has the item while it is being borrowed. To do this, click Checkout from the vertical ellipsis menu in the ‘Container’ section.

DISPENSING MATERIAL

You can use the Dispense function to subtract an amount you are placing into another container. To do this, click Dispense from the vertical ellipsis menu in the ‘Container’ section. Please note, this will add an additional container to your inventory.

REASSIGNING MATERIAL

If your container has not been assigned the correct material, you can use the Reassign function to search for the correct substance to assign to your container. To do this, click Reassign from the vertical ellipsis menu in the ‘Container’ section. 

COLLEAGUES

On the Inventory Summary page, you may select labs to be Colleagues. A Colleague lab is a lab you work closely with or share similar processes with. As Colleagues, you can see each other’s items and locations, which makes it easier to borrow or check out items. 

To add a Colleague, select the lab under the Colleagues section in the Inventory Summary page. The lab will then receive a request asking if they want to be Colleagues with your lab. 

Exporting and Importing Inventory Data

Exporting Data

To export your inventory in an Excel file, navigate to the ‘Inventory Summary’ page and click Download Inventory Data under the ‘Import & Export’ section. 

You may find it helpful to print out this Excel sheet and compare it with what chemicals you have in the lab or shop, in order to make the necessary updates within Chemicals. (See: Add Items, Deleting Items, Editing Items)

Importing Data

You may import an inventory by clicking Import under this same section. Please note: we do not recommend updating the downloaded Excel file and then using the Import function to upload the edited Excel tile. This function will only add to what already exists in your inventory, therefore duplicating those items. 

• Deleting your inventory and replacing it with an updated Excel file via import would still require re-matching all items, which is a tedious and time-consuming process.

• The Import function is intended for a large batch of new items that weren’t previously in your inventory.

RECONCILIATION

Reconciliation applies only to barcoded/scanned inventories, and is a process done one year after an inventory has been barcoded/scanned (see Barcoding/Scanning above).

ADDING ROOMS

Adding new rooms to your lab must be done through Labs @ Berkeley (the new room will then be available both on LHAT and Chemicals). If you need to add a new room, ask your lab manager or owner to add the room, or email cheminv@berkeley.edu.