bump I'm really interested in something like this too!

>>81605

>Are any of you interested in this or have done anything but make a baking soda volcano?

Yes, but...

>inb4 drug recipies

That is the only home chemistry I've ever really done. Nothing else is that practical. And per the sticky, I will not discuss any such methods, even though discussing methods is perfectly legal, and is thus not illegal content, as the sticky would imply.

>>81616
I'm not personally against it, but I think the mods would be. It's sad that the most practical application can't be discussed. :/

I know what you're planning to do.

>>81616
That sticky makes me sad... no /diy/ munitions, no /diy/ pharmaceuticals....

>>81605
At the very least invest in some proper lab coat and eye protection.

Lab coat keeps your clothes clean and safe in the event of spills, can get taken off very quickly in the event of catching fire or something, and are usually plain enough so that it can't get caught on some rough edge.

Eye protection should be self explanatory, but anyway: in case of burns, boiling liquids (acids), broken glass fragments, any eye protection is worth way more than its cost in money.

Even if you think you don't really need these for simple experiments, better safe than sorry.

You can get a decent set (eye protection and lab coat) for around $50, maybe even less.

And, if nothing else, it makes you feel like a proper scientist.

>>81659
Note that it doesn't need to be a strict white lab coat, anything that covers your clothes will do. Those blue worker's coats are pretty good, don't know what they are called in english though.
As for eye protection, every /diy/ke probably has some at home. Minimal costs for everything.

Chemistry is cool and all but you'd end up making simple stuff like wintergreen oils or aspirin. Maybe you could combine that shit with other /diy/ projects and make something really cool.

>>81669
>>81659
I also do woodworking, so I have those covered.

>>81673
Exactly, that's the spirit!

I'm in first year general college chemistry and am f-ing loving it... and I'm not even going into anything chemistry-related.
But anyway, I was thinking about trying some things out at home. I go out into the wilderness and collect crystals/minerals and in order for them to look like what you can buy in a shop, they have to be "cleaned" - dissolving off matrix material with certain acids and the like. The trick is using something that will react with the unwanted material while leaving the mineral you want un-harmed.
So, if you have any interest in geology, that could be a fun way to combine the two.

Another idea is something related to you're green fire. It burns green because of the atomic emission spectra of that particular element. We did a lab in my class on this not too long ago using ionic salts of the alkaline/alkaline earth metals.
Anyway, to my understanding, this is actually the principle behind fireworks - that's how you get the pretty colors.
So... you could try formulating some of your own. If you really felt motivated you could even try synthesizing the fuel that launches them - though that could probably be a bit dangerous.

Captcha: NaCl, aftewBr

A student of pharmacy in here (finishing my master's)

If you indeed try to make something chemistry related, with a hint of /diy/, make your own rotavapor (rotary evaporator).

Grow a shitloads of different herbs, extract shit from them, concentrate said shit in rotavapor, seal beforementioned shit for later use.

Start out with something simple like growing lavender and extracting its essental oil. Next step would be buying/diying your own column cromatography in order to extract camphor from said oil.

Another cool project would also be a tablet press - a single punch that is. If memory serves me correct a force of around 30-50 kN is needed in order to achieve dry press.

As for the chemical part(y) - just don't do it unless you know exactly what the fuck you're doing. And even then there's a high possibility of you blowing half your block into oblivion.


...unles you diyed a negative pressure chamber with constant ventilation (sorry, don't know the exact phrase in Englisch).

Here, just a couple ideas. Should keep you busy for a year or two.

>>81723
You Germans never cease to inspire me.

>>81733

Actually I was leading you astray.
I'm not German.

ChemPhD/professor who started out as a home chemist. Ask away if you like, I will try to answer anything I can.

a few things: goggles should be splash goggles. Regular safety goggles wont do a bit of good against liquid eager to split alkenes in your eyes. should be about 10 bucks.

COTTEN lab coat is a must. Polyester, other synthetics like to burst into flame when they come in contact with organic solvents. Not fun...ask me how I know.

In general chemistry isn't really that dangerous, especially if you folllow proper procedure. There arent many situations that will hurt you so long as you have goggles.

Try to keep everything on a small scale until you have something you want to make alot of. If youre just messing around, its easier, cheaper, and less of a bad situation when you spill 10ml of sample instead of a gallon.

Obtaining glassware is easy: just go to your local university and look in the trash cans outside of labs. Glass, hot plates, etc. Picked up a working HPLC when i was 15...still use it to this day.

>>81723 : its called a fume hood in english. You can DIY them (and rotovaps, hplcs, distillation setups, and almost anything you want really) for cheap.

>>81770
Why do these items get thrown away, exactly?

>>81778
Because some professors have way too much grant money and dont know what to do with it. And there are actually some loopholes that allow you to get more money back than you invested by "breaking" labware. Ex: get a 100k grant...buy a 30k hplc. break it. Then have the granting agency buy you 50k replacement hplc without any extra cost to you, by claiming that prices rose throughout the market. This 50k is bundeled with extra money (about another 50k), part of which goes to the department (read: helps you get tenure), and part of which (~5-15%) goes directly to your pocket.

>>81770
I want to understand what chemists say when they describe procedures, and I tried learning, it's just that I learn differently from most people. I tried reading a highly-regarded textbook and paying attention to YouTube Chemistry teachers but I just couldn't get it. I'm not stupid- I've seriously been diagnosed as different (and that's as far as I'll go), and I was wondering if there are any resources which teach chemistry in a different light.

>>81770
>Not fun...ask me how I know

Ok I'm asking. Do you have a story behind this?

>>81790

I'm assuming you mean lab procedures/synthesis, etc?

Btw, I am slightly autistic so I know what you mean about being different. Communication is difficult...no one makes sense.

Anyways, unfortunately understanding these procedures requires first understanding basic chemical principles (about 2 years of college...general and organic chemistry). However, most of this can be understood in a much shorter time, just without memorizing all the specific cases you would learn in a class. Try to learn about:

Chemical principles:
-Structure of atoms
-Bonding (both covalent and ionic). (really helps to memorize how C,N,H,O,and halogens like to bond...aka their preferred number of bonds, lone pairs, and what partial charges they get when they are not happy).
-hybridization (fake, but we talk about it like it is real)
-Polarity ( extremely important)
-Acidity v Basisity ( extremely important)
-Solubility (affected by polarity and acid/basisity)
-Periodic trends with regards to all of the above
-Thermochemistry (heat of rxns, enthalpys, entropies, and rxn rates.)
-Stoichiometry (stupid simple, but necessary)
-And by far the most important thing in chemistry is where the electrons are. Electrons drive absolutely everything, and to be honest, if one was smart enough (no one is), you would not need to learn anything else about chemistry. This is how computerized models work.

All in all the above should take no more than 2 weeks of a few hours a day. Dont need to go about memorizing all the strong acids, etc. Quick references/the internet exist nowadays.

Laboratory principles/basics:
how to read a msds
titration
distillation
crystallization/purification
chromatography
chemically active extraction

To be continued

>>81823
Continued
As far as where to learn these: google, the Khan acadamy (man that guy is a great teacher) http://www.khanacademy.org/#browse , and anywhere else. Often times textbooks are written by people who dont communicate well....oh well.

Where to learn the lab techniques: “organic laboratory techniques” by fessendon is great and very very easy to understand. A used copy of an old edition is really cheap. Even though it says organic, this will actually cover almost everything basic that I have listed (lab only).

Tldr: read more, watch the khan academys videos, understand really basic priciples, and get the lab technique book.

>>81783

How did you get away with taking shit out of university garbage cans?

>>81826
>>81825
Wow, thank you!

>>81823
Seconded; trashpicking is epic.

>>81808
>>81808
Using t-bu litium as a reagent in a reaction supposedly done in vaccum, under oil. It ignites with dry air, or when touching anything solid and organic (aka polyester). Had impomplete setup, leaving reaction vessel open to air, and being lazy did not bother closing the fume hood. Fire shoots out of hood, hits shirt, becomes huge fire. shirt sticks to body because melting polyester pretty much equals napalm. Lucking was standing directly under a safety shower, but still have serious scarring from the 5 seconds or so that it was alight

>>81826
>>81826
You know, I don't think I was seen doing it more than once. Usually univ. have "loading docks" where they put all the lab trash, and its very secluded, with few windows or doors around. (so that fumes dont get sucked into bldg). Learn when the stockroom ppl make their routs and dump stuff in the trash and you are golden. Not sure on the law...is dumpster diving even illegal?

Also, if you can, try to get a job in the chem bldg, biochem, bio, anything really, store room. You get to take out the trash and take things off inventory. Pick through it and take what you want. Also if you get the know profs, they will hook you up. "oops i broke my xyz, please take it to the trash"

HOWEVER, be really careful, especially near bio bldgs. Most researches cant be botherd to properly dispose of hazards, and you can easily get poked by a disease/nuerotoxin, etc syringe/tweezers/glass etc while looking thru trash.

>>81835
oh god that sounds horrible

>>81840
>Not sure on the law...is dumpster diving even illegal?
In Texas possession of lab grade glass ware without a permit is a crime.

So I would guess going dumpster diving for it would be illegal. But only in my ass backwards state.

>>81851
Holy hell....just looked up the law...that is ridiculous. And I thought Texas was relatively lenient with things...
On that note...careful who you let know you have a lab...most people actually fear chemistry because they don't understand it.

That really limits you...especially because common class (non-borosilicate) has serious issues in a lab setting...

Any chance you could just register it?

>>81858
>I thought Texas was relatively lenient with things...
This is a complete and utter misconception, if it's dangerous or controversial in the slightest bit, it's probably illegal in Texas.

I don't have a home lab, or anything resembling a home lab mainly because of this.

Also, if by register you mean not so anonymously tip off the authorities and get your house raided by a joint DEA task force for suspicion of being a meth lab... Sure. You can try and register it.

>>81851
> In Texas possession of lab grade glass ware without a permit is a crime.
> glass with specific properties
> a crime to possess in texas

More evidence Texas hates all things science

I wonder if it is illegal to have chem lab grade glass in let's say CT or VT?

>>81871
I don't believe it's *technically* illegal, but if they want to raid you they'll do it on suspicion of drug manufacturing or explosive precursor components, or whatever the term is.

I thought I'd share a couple useful links, but it turns out some of my favorited pages 404'd and some others weren't quite sane.

http://www.cavemanchemistry.com/
For /diy/ chemistry, this is amazing. It teaches from brewing alcohol to dyeing fabrics and starting fires, which are very practical applications of chemistry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_available_chemicals
Naturally, Wikipedia knows all. That page isn't as useful as one might hope, but it helps.

>>81723
im also a pharmacy student, I do synthetic organic chemistry research in my spare time. Making a rotovap isn't that bad with common household materials. Also if you're doing small scale you can buy a vaccuum pump made out of rubber tubing and a T joint and attach it to a faucet (you need good connections for this). Our rotovaps work off this and my boss just made them from stuff at lowes. Getting it to condense will be MUCH harder however. You need a condensation hose and you need to run coolant through it in a spiral in order to have your solvant condense.
One important thing to note, if you're gonna use water as a solvant don't even bother because it'll be so hard to get rid of it won't be worth the effort.

ALSO be VERY CAREFUL not to implode your glassware, make sure to check for cracks before you hook it up to the rotovap AND glassware from walmart is a TERRIBLE IDEA. As always wear safety glasses, rocketting pieces of glass into your eyes isnt fun.

>>81883
me again, I was just gonna share some of my personal secrets. If you've taken organic chemistry (usually a 300 level chem class in college) you know that most reactions take a base or acid/ nucleophile or electrophile.
Bases are actually pretty easy to get, CaCO3 is super cheap and works well. NaOH also works great but is a bit more expensive and burns your hands. Drain cleaner is usually basic as well but has lots of binders and extra chemicals that can mess up certain reactions.

Acids: okay so the easiest acid to get is acetic which is just vinegar, however that is only like 1-5% by weight and is therefore very low normality. However, THE BEST way to get high normality acid from the store is to buy pool acidifier which is called muriatic acid. This is just a fancy name for HCl and the best part is that it is usually 35% by weight which is almost 12N for HCl which means its almost as potent as the concentrated stuff we buy in the lab.

>>81888
I heard freezing vinegar just below 32 degrees allows the water to freeze but not the acetic acid. I tried it but I couldn't test the purity.

>>81891
pure vinegar is available for sale at photography stores

>>81892
>>81892
Yep, glacial acetic acid and HCL are by far the cheapest and easiet to come by.

>>81888

If you need a stronger purpose acid like sulfuric acid, it's sold in fairly concentrated forms under various drain opener brands. I recall liquid fire brand drain opener being fairly concentrated and Rooto brand was nearly azeotropic, I don't think they cut that stuff with anything, although I haven't seen it sold in hardware stores in years.

anyone know how to yield a higher concentration of Glycolic acid from sugar than just using sugar in its ordinary store bought form?

anybody know where i can buy some sulfuric and/or hydrochloric acid? I've got lots of chemicals already, but these seem to be hard to come by without being a teacher or scientist that has a 'legitimate' purpose for owning it.

and i mean quantities of at least a liter.

>>81936
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sulfuric+acid&x
=0&y=0

>>81948
well i feel stupid

thanks

it will help with a lot of recipes in my... handbook

>>81605
sciencemadness dot org is all you need to know. You seem to have proven yourself worthy of this knowledge.

Another thing, THE GOLDEN BOOK OF CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS. Download it. Read it. It is the DIY chemistry bible. It was banned by the government.
Link here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21654883/The-Golden-Book-of-Chemistry-Experiments

Also, most pyrex glassware isn't borosilicate glass and explodes when heat is applied. Please keep this in mind.

>>81723 here

>>81835 t-BuLi
are you serious? How the fuck did you get ahold of that? Although having access to safety shower means you were prolly doing it at the uni.

>>81770
somehow i dont believe you got a working HPLC out of a trash can, I've worked with the dipshits at waters many times and the chances that they would give you the software to run it are very slim, also you gotta buy the solvents yourself anyways and who sells 4L solvent bottles to a 15 year old. I am dubious of your story...

>>81927
muriatic acid, sold as swimming pool additive is HCl and its almost 12N solution so it can be used for pretty much anything you need.

>>82282

I have this man's book. It is amazing.

>>82339
Then tell us the title!

>>82282
>>82339
>>82486

Theodore Gray is a geek's geek.

>>82486
"Mad Science" by Theodore Gray.

http://graysci.com/

bumping for an awesome topic

as phd in chemphys I might add one cool link for ya bitches. http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/nanolab/index.html
which covers from nanoparticles to oleds.
and I kindly suggest trying the interface reaction for the production of nylon 6-6. awesome shit.

bumping to put myself on yet another government watch-list

>>84364

Yeah, kinda sad. It's also annoying if someone happens to find out that you're interested in chemistry.

> Chemistry? You making bombs?
>> No.
> Don't tell me you're into drugs.
>> No.
> OH NOW I GET IT! You have that distillation thing! You're making moonshine! Lolol, gimme some!
>> No.
> Um... Wat?

I make iron oxide every now and then. saving it up for a big batch for thermite. Youtube it if you want to know how, but it lets off clorine gas. Oh, and instead of using 9v battery, use a 15v (or greater if you have it) converter

I'd like to know how to make hydrochloric acid to use as an etchant. I know you can make it by bubbling table salt and sulphuric acid/pool ph correcter gases through water, but is there any other method?

>>84381
For PCBs? I remember seeing a video of a guy doing it with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide somewhere.

>>84370

I've made smoke bombs, and a five minute lava lamp before, but I guess that's BS Volcano tier.

Org chem/pharma instructor here. I think the fundamental issue is what do you want to do. You say doing chemistry, but that's such a broad topic you're not really stating a purpose. I started teaching this semester, and have gotten two research projects going for less than $200. Understand the science, what you want to do, and how to do it on a budget. Universities are great resources, because some have free access to journals, possibility to grab free equipment (check the hallways), and more importantly an opportunity to buddy up to professors.

I love this thread. I found a place to set up a chem lab, and now I'm going to teach myself chemistry while I scrounge up equipment.

I'd love a home lab, but I do not want men with assault rifles kicking down my doors

I do this too. Have been for a while.
Got quite a collection of Colorful substances, Some quite poisonous ones, a few that go bang.
Getting into organic synthesis now, my lab's arriving in the mail all the time.

>>84958
>>84943
>>84753
>>84369
>>81977
>>81883

OP returning. You people have really inspired me to keep going. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some equations to balance...

>>84370
>>84370
Use a different electrolyte, something with out CL-, so it wont make Chlorine gas....

NAOH, carbonate, anything

>>84948
You from US? They'd really do that?

I am 12 what is chemistry

that is a 600mL full of delicious precipitate

^^

>>85400
>http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=2074
>http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/chemistry.html
>http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/08/home-science-under-attack.html
>http://io9.com/5119166/teen-with-home-chemistry-lab-arrested-for-meth-bombs
>The above was in Canada. Watch your ass Canuks.

Just do a google search for 'home chemistry lab raids' and you'll find enough hits to make you sick.

TL;DR Yes. Yes, they do.

>>85416
>>85407
awwwyeeaahh.jpg

>>85420
this is disgusting but alas something a hidden self-taught chemist must know

>>85420
>Several days later, police admitted that Casey's lab was not being used to make illegal drugs, nor was it being used for any other illegal purpose. However, a trial is pending to determine whether or not he was using his lab to build what police are calling "improvised explosive devices."
I'm glad I live in some shitty 2nd world European country. As far as authority is concerned here, I can even blow shit up as long as I own it, as long as nobody actually gets hurt or killed and as long as nobody complains. And nobody EVER gives a fuck.

>>85420
Way to go fullretard America. Technically, you can kill someone with a kitchen knife or a heavy blunt object or strangle someone with a fucking piano wire or a guitar string. Better ban that too. Actually, you could kill someone with your bare hands. Amputate the citizens then. They can still kick eachother to death? Get rid of their legs too. There, killing problems solved. Because taking away freedom means making everyone safe, right? Oh, but there's still the rest of the world? WELL, THEY'RE NOT PROUD AMERICAN SO YOU CAN JUST KILL THEM ALL YES I FUCKING MAD

>>85428
A majority of people are not under suspicion. Homemade fireworks and rocketry are still popular sports in the U.S.

>>85431
Yeah basically.

This is a pretty good site for the beginner (e.g., me).
http://www.destructve.com/bromicacid/bookprogress.htm

I found the link on sciencemadness.org (which some other anon already mentioned- I concur that it is an awesome forum).

>>84403
Im curious, did they give off colored smoke at all? What methods did you use?

>>85444
I'm guessing he blended sugar and potassium nitrate -- pretty simple stuff. I'm given to understand you can make them give off colored smoke, but I've never done it myself.

>chemistry
>hard science

>>85927
x != Physics
>x
>hard Science

>>85927

What is your problem with referring to chemistry as a hard science?

>chemistry
>hardcore science
>/sci/ memes on /diy/

>>85959
Biology is the only hard science. Chemistry is only one step up from psychology.

>>86139
>herp derp babbys first troll derrrrp

Why in the name of science are hotplates so expensive? Let alone one with magnetic stirring!

want to make homemade labware what should i do?

>>86359

Hotplate with or without a stirrer is very useful.

>>86359
Glassbending. I think most high school Chemistry classes use it as a demonstration, but I don't know if that glass is lab-safe (borosilicate, doesn't explode on heating.) Since science sometimes requires precise measurements, I think a lot of skill would be needed, though.

>>86365
that sounds hard could i make a homemade testtube and bunson burner somehow?
>>86367
that could be very bad

>>86369

A sprit lamp is rather easy to make and you can make thin test tubes out of borosilicate tubing. Too bad spirit lamps are annoying and test tubes are so cheap and easy to get that making them by hand is quite pointless.

>>86369
A quick search only led me to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIThKs1Jh-s
If you aren't comfortable with something like that, you probably shouldn't be looking to DIY laboratory pieces.

>>86371
>>86369
I just fill a washed-out can with rubbing alcohol to heat slowly or a blowtorch to heat quickly.

anyone have any fun things to do with little lab items?

>>86387
The solid cyanides are easy, but with the sticky and all...

What sort of legal hoops would one have to jump through to legally be a pyrotechnics hobbyist in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania? I remember when UnitedNuclear.com had all sorts of recipes and supplies before the gubmint decided to fuck shit up.

>>86425
Come now, there are a myriad of legitimate uses for cyanide:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanide#Applications

Just because something can be misused to harm people, doesn't mean that its purpose is to harm people. I think, in the context of this thread, solid cyanides are acceptable discussion.

>Drug discussion: B&, GLOBAL RULE 1 I'M CALLING THE CYBERPOLICE

>Cyanide discussion: A-ok!

>>87033

Sounds good.

>>87015
i don't think you can legally be a hobby chemist in the USA anymore :>/

fireworks-related: i got these books in the mail a couple days ago. i am mainly interested in stuff relating to latex rubber processing. both books have largely the same content. nothing about explosives specifically but there is some stuff on fireworks.... also gun propellants and mercury fulminate (gun primers) with a lot of warnings about how dangerous making that is.

some of the info is obsolete now; there is a whole section on how to make soaps/shampoos/perfume, and a lot of it calls for ambergris or spermaceti oil, though perhaps there is other substitutes now.
http://theexplodingwhale.com/archives/2006/01/couple-finds-ambergris/
-ambergris costs a fortune, and where can you even get sperm oil nowadays? ?:>|
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_whaling#20th_century

there's a number of recipes for various glowing paint that used radioactive material you probably couldn't get now in any first-world country, either. many of the chemicals are common though they use archaic names for them.

,,,,,,
what's most surprising to me looking through these recipes for all kinds of stuff, is how common it was to use cadmium, mercury and lead in damn near everything. the personal stuff (soap, toothpaste) didn't have it, but almost everything else seems to use at least one of the three. for as dangerous as it seems today, people used it in lots and lots of stuff for a long time.

>>87087
our society is pretty ass-backwards when you think about it:

>one century ago, no one knew the practical dangers of the materials they worked with.
>hobbyism was abundant and encouraged with minimal safety precautions.
>today everyone can easily find out safe practices for any material they choose to work with.
>hobbyists are treated like terrorists and drug lords for trying to do anything more complicated than mixing soap and water.

Its like once people actually have the ability to safely and easily do something for themselves, the government decides they are a danger to a society. If you didn't buy it from a store you're clearly evil and up to no good.

I'm pretty sure the rule refers to recreational drugs/controlled substances in the "Don't do drugs kids!" sense. If it's not illegal, and it furthers doing things yourself, I don't think Moot will have a problem with it.

In any case, I'm not really interesting in drugs, but more things that help with/use other diy stuff, like making simple electronics or bioplastic. I was thinking I should wait until I get a job to do anything that would take so much equipment, but I ought to try at least something out soon.

>>87103
Well if you're building or repairing your own stuff instead of constantly buying new junk, or if you try to learn things rather than just regurgitating whatever you hear on the TV, you are probably some sort of dirty communist.