The Home Scientist 001 - Introduction and Lab Tour

[dulionsTV]

What home lab? I've just seen a chemical factory!

[ArizonaBob]

I have been enjoying your series very much...great channel here! Thanks for the fantastic vids! :)

[eherothundergiant]

You sound exactly like Nurdrage. Wonder if you are the same person???

[infinatycount1]

i hope people dont get suspicious about me buying lab equipment since i am black

[98JMA]

In your book, you mention that you protect your work surfaces with rubber non-slip mats . . .why do they not appear in the videos of actual experiments? (Just out of curiosity)

[meowludo]

I am jealous!

[SleekMouse]

I want to get some science done!

[TheHomeScientist]

I have no idea. Why?

[98JMA]

At 2:55, what is the paper seen on the right hand bench??

[98JMA]

What is on the other side of your lab that you don't show in the video - the benches opposite your fumehood??

[TheHomeScientist]

@98JMA

Counters, sinks, and cabinets.

[TheHomeScientist]

@98JMA

Thanks for the kind words. I actually buy most of my lab equipment in bulk (e.g. a gross of test tubes or a box of 1,000 disposable pipettes) from wholesalers that don't sell to the general public.

From reader's comments, I know there are good sources in the UK. You might ask AlchemicalGarden, who's UK-based and seems to have some pretty good equipment, or just search Google for ""home science" lab equipment site:co.uk" or something similar.

[horsefeathers87]

i am just curious. what would be the advantage or purpose of a home science lab. what could be achieved. can you show me some examples.

[TheHomeScientist]

@horsefeathers87

Learning about science. Doing hands-on science. Educating your children. See my other videos and those channels I've linked to.

[netstepb]

@horsefeathers87

Duuuuha

[carlos10047275]

Contratulations Robert; you have a marvelous place to work, the best.

[Georgij92]

Good introduction video.

About microwave: You should create videos ''Cam I microwave this solution''.

[RunnyInk]

An excellent and very interesting video, 5 stars.

[storebror21]

As a teenager, I was very keen on chemistry and still am. As you well know (you mention it in your book) chemistry sets on sale these days are a complete joke. Do you ever see this situation improving to the point that we return to the days when chemistry sets were worth buying?

[Neilidity]

Checkout ebay, especially the UK site - that has a regular stream of ~30 year old chemistry sets, and some are almost in perfect condition.

[cool70200]

nice stuff, thanks

[UbeefHooked]

NurdRage sent me, subscribed.

[llewgnal]

Nice rack of chemicals... Do you have earth quakes there ? May I suggest putting a lip around the edges of your shelves, just an idea... Gary

[TheHomeScientist]

Good point, for those who live in earthquake-prone areas. Our biggest quake in living memory was about 3.0. Everyone thought it was just thunder.

The bottles are more secure than they look. The shelves are about 4" (100 mm) deep, and the bottles are half that diameter and well back from the edge. Also, the front of the shelves is slightly higher than the back. And nearly all of the bottles contain only dilute bench solutions.

[dbc616]

This is too good to be a home lab.

[TheHomeScientist]

Thanks, but it really is my home lab. I originally set it up when I was writing Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments for O'Reilly/MAKE.

[HomeScienceNow]

I found a local supplier of boston round glass storage bottles with great prices, better than i've seen anywhere online. They offer caps for them as well. Not sure which type to get for the stock solutions, the polyseal type with the cone, or the polypropylene cap which is apparently just the plastic cap with no cone structure underneath. The polyseal caps ($0.11463 each) are almost 3x more $ than the regular polyprop ones.

[TheHomeScientist]

I use the cone-type caps on my bench reagent bottles, although they're probably not really necessary for storing dilute bench solutions. PP is pretty resistant to most lab chemicals in aqueous solutions, so if you're buying enough that the difference between 4 cents and 12 cents a cap is significant, I'd go with the plain PP caps.

Incidentally, why not tell us how much you paid locally for your bottles in whatever size(s). That'd be a good reference for anyone else looking for them locally.

[HomeScienceNow]

I paid $0.37149 each for 4 oz. amber boston round, available by carton only (160 per carton). Came to $59.44 (after they rounded up to the nearest cent). The 16 oz. amber boston round came to $41.34 per carton ($0.68908 ea). The company is brad-pakdotcom. When I called, the customer service lady said to put my order in on their web site, print it out, then fax it in. Then go to their warehouse to pick up. That's what I did and am picking up this afternoon and paying in person.

[scientificpublic]

Was wondering what you do for storage of your conc. HCL & H2SO4 bottles, I've heard the HCL will fume and is difficult to contain, thus will react with moisture in the air, potentially forming a mist. Since H2SO4 is hygroscopic, it will pull in water from the air, reacting & producing heat. Was wondering if these bottles should be wrapped in a zip loc bag or put in a plastic bin for more containment?

[TheHomeScientist]

It certainly doesn't hurt to use a bag or bin for extra protection. Concentrated HCl does fume, and concentrated H2SO4 is one of the most effective drying agents available. It'll suck water out of anything. In fact, it'll suck water out of completely dry materials, whence the famous demo of using concentrated H2SO4 to extract H2O from dry table sugar, leaving only carbon.

[scientificpublic]

Thank you Robert for your reply. I have two supply-house bought acids right now, and they are only 30 ml bottles of conc HCL & H2SO4. Before I ordered, I read ch. 4 from your book I found online, the MSDSs, and several forums. I decided to put the 30 ml HCL outside in an old, non-working BBQ, in a plastic tub with lid. The H2SO4 I keep in the garage, in a zip loc bag, which I then place inside an empty HDPE bottle.

[TheHomeScientist]

Well, that should certainly prevent them from hurting anything if they leak. Don't get too paranoid about chemicals. That HCl is only slightly more concentrated than the muriatic acid you can buy by the gallon at Lowe's or Home Depot, and no one thinks twice about using that stuff. Don't get me wrong, concentrated acids should be treated with respect, but don't go overboard.

[HomeScienceNow]

Thanks for putting things in the right perspective. As I learn and build my first lab, I knew i would err, and I hoped it would be caution's side. I will fine tune now, and make adjustments. The MSDS I've noticed tend exaggerate some of the dangers. You're right about the muriatic acid. Never have used this product or had on hand. I had heard that if stored in the garage it might damage metal. I wanted to avoid possible harm to car and other metals.

[HomeScienceNow]

This is my new channel now (previously scientificpublic). I plan to make videos and post them soon. Would like to give a tour of my lab as soon as I complete it.

[jvcrules]

zippo fuel? 2:10

[TheHomeScientist]

Yep. Zippo fuel. IIRC, I used it as a chromatography solvent, just as a comparison with pure aromatic and aliphatic solvents. It's a mixture of toluene, cyclohexane, and several other organics.

[FazTuMesmo]

I bought your book last year while I was building the lab. Now I have work bench, running water, some glass, brackets and clamps, and some reagents I bought on ebay. What I lack are solvent because it is very hard to buy on ebay and here in Portugal, I find only in companies such VWR, which is all high grade and very expensive. : S It was cool that Makershed sold to Europe, or that there was something on here: small quantities and cheap.

[Hellghast007]

Ah. :)

Um amigo português! Também faço umas reacções de vez enquando por piada.

Btw, de onde compras os teus químicos aqui em Portugal? Eu sei que se pode comprar quase tudo online, mas é sempre mais fácil comprar directamente. :) Obrigado

[FazTuMesmo]

Olá!

Eu como disse lá em cima compro no ebay o que não arranjo nas drogarias, no AKI ou maxmat. Mas solventes orgânicos é mais difícil, por cá só se arranja nas empresas que vendem para os labs, que são muito caros e bons de mais para o que quero. É só pela piada de fazer ciência a sério em casa. Estou a pensar fazer vídeos tipo estes em português para estimular o pessoal a fazer ciência por terras lusas! :)

[Hellghast007]

Obrigado por responderes prontamente. :)

Bem, como solventes orgânicos, há a benzina que se vende até barata em drogarias, e o petróleo de candeeiros, que é aínda mais fácil porque se vende em qualquer hipermercado.

E devias fazer estes vídeos! Como incentivo, já subscrevi o teu canal. Cumprimentos!

[fernandesilyt]

I don't have a home lab, but I use the lab of school.

[kaatokannu]

Man, i wish i had my own home lab. =P

[coolliger]

this man's book is great!

subscribed!

[keggerous]

subscibed!

[ervans]

Great video 5*

[mewrox99]

Good video except the sound is in Mono

[AmericanBornChemist]

Very nice lab!