The Home Scientist 025 - Where to get lab chemicals

[demnlordd666]

hey there just curious, but you mentioned 25% acetic acid I believe when you were talking about chems from hardware/home improvement stores. where do you find that one? or what is it used for? thanks I went through and bookmarked several of the places you mentioned. though I perfer being able to drive to a store to get chems, ordering is a necessity when you get more serious, thanks for the pointers, I did a fair amount of college chem and am enjoying tinkering in my spare time again

[unsub919]

Great Videos ,my childhood passion for chemistry has reawakened although I haven't done any experiments yet just plenty of readingand second hand shopping for glassware etc. Looking for cheap coffee pots for beakers since they are clear and designed to take direct heat. May see if I can get a clear teapot to work for vacum filtraton using the spout to attach the vacuum tube.

[98JMA]

Try eBay for any chemical first - you can often get a huge range for brilliant prices:)

[soreff]

Another pottery supplier that is helpful is uspigment.

In particular, I've purchased rare earth oxides from them

(Samarium, Praseodymium, and Neodymium) with reasonable

prices and no problems.

[gleepdiddly]

Is rooto still being sold at Ace?

[theman2160]

Woooooo! Go united nuclear! They sell uranium metal and cool tee shirts!

[98JMA]

Would you reccomend eBay??

[mach352]

what is the product called that has KMnO4

[98JMA]

@mach352

Potassium permangante, a very powerful oxidizer.

[Kilooscarromeo]

I'm gong to do a gold drop out of Aqua Regia & i'm in need of SMB(sodium metabisulfate) any1 know a reasonable place or places to obtain.Would really appreciate that

[Kilooscarromeo]

@Kilooscarromeo It's supposed to be sodium metabisulfite

[purplemutantas]

@Kilooscarromeo Home brew shops carry it. Try your local home brew shop or look at online brew shops.

[evanperryg]

@PyroPortrayal United Nuclear is pretty good- prices are kind of high on some items I have made at home.

[PyroPortrayal]

I've also heard good things about United Nuclear, I plan to buy my first glassware set from them.

[purplemutantas]

@PyroPortrayal United Nuclear is good. I picked up some Erlenmeyer flasks and beakers from them. I got the set of 5 flask and the set of 5 beakers. It's a good assortment of lab glass to get you started. I plan on ordering more stuff from them.

[saltMagic]

Really glad your here!

[Junim721]

isn't buying chemical online is just for America?

[TheHomeScientist]

Those sites are specifically ones that sell to individuals. Maker Shed, however, is getting out of the chemicals and science equipment business (other than microscopes) as of the end of this year. They're having an excellent sale right now on items they have left in stock, with a 75% discount off the prices they show with the items.

[InfoExploiter]

so the websites you mentioned u don't need to be a business to buy from the, even if you wanted to buy hydrochloric acid

[zerobinary2]

Wish I can find some sites like that in Hong Kong

[tommmmmmmmx]

i get all my chemicals from 6 friends they work for water com. and farms and coops. very cheep and some of the places you talk about butt i never put my vids up about this there privite only to close friends i might make a channel sorry for now ps. i dont like blowing things up. i like showing ppl what i do for a hobby

[Tinutaja]

Do any of these sites accept international orders?

[TheHomeScientist]

@Tinutaja

I doubt it. Keeping up with chemical shipping regulations in one country is difficult. Trying to ship chemicals between countries is nearly impossible.

[cramsa]

Thanks for these videos, I needed this.

[mynameisdarthtater]

I officially have the 2 nerdiest possible things to spend my money on: Rubik's cubes and chemicals. So... A V cube 7, or some NaCuSO4?

Decisions, decisions.

[zbret]

I went though the complete (20k+ items) catalog for the pottery company mentioned and made note of any of the items that were chemicals and any items that seemed of interest. They also have an assortment of tools and supplies, ie rubber stoppers, thermocouples, etc, but these are generally cheaper on other sites. I found their pricing for their chemicals though to be very cheap!

Sorry about the formatting. I tried 7 times to get it right but you tube refused to put line spacing in reliably!

[zbret]

Chemicals (A-B): ANTIMONY OXIDE ALUMINA HYDRATE (Al(OH)3) ALUMINA OXIDE (CALCINED) (Al2O3) Armature Wire - Aluminum - 1/16 inch Dia - 30 Ft (Al) BARIUM CARBONATE BARIUM SULFATE BISMUTH SUBNITRATE (bismuth oxynitrate hydrate Bi5O(OH)9(NO3)4) BORAX - POWDERED BORIC ACID BONE ASH (calcium phosphate)

[zbret]

Chemicals Continued (C-L): CERIUM OXIDE CHROME OXIDE COBALT CARBONATE COBALT OXIDE COBALT SULFATE COPPER CARBONATE COPPER OXIDE - BLACK (CUPRIC) COPPER OXIDE - RED (CUPROUS) COPPER SULFATE CROCUS MARTIS (RED IRON ORE) (Fe2O3) DOLOMITE (CaMg(CO3)2) EPSOM SALTS (Magnesium Sulfate) FLUORSPAR (mineral, mostly CaF2) GERSTLEY BORATE (REAL) 2CaO.3B2O3.5H2O IRON CHLORIDE IRON CHROMATE IRON OXIDE - BLACK IRON OXIDE - RED 98% IRON SULFATE LITHIUM CARBONATE (FINE)

[zbret]

Chemicals Continued (S): SILICA 200 MESH (FLINT #106) (SiO2) SILICON CARBIDE SILVER NITRATE SODA ASH (SODIUM CARBONATE) SODIUM BICARBONATE SODIUM FLUORIDE SODIUM NITRATE SODIUM SILICATE N SODIUM SULFATE SPODUMENE - WHITE (lithium aluminium inosilicate - LiAl(SiO3)2 ) SPS - Lead Wire - Type S (Pb) STANNOUS (TIN) CHLORIDE STRONTIUM CARBONATE

[edgeeffect]

Excellent! Now all I need to do is find someone from the UK who can give me a similar catalogue of suppliers and I'm very happy indeed.

[TheHomeScientist]

@edgeeffect

Google for "readily available chemicals". You'll find a UK site by that name that has two pages, one for organics and one for inorganics, with sources for many different chemicals, including UK sources.

[clarinini]

Are more videos coming soon? I love your serie and can't wait to get some more =D

[CAIDMASTEROFPYRO]

what is lab grade i bought potassium nitrate that was labeled lab grade is it like 99%

[TheHomeScientist]

@CAIDMASTEROFPYRO

Lab grade is very high purity, but the actual percentage varies. Lab grade chemicals aren't assayed like reagent-grade chemicals, which is why they're generally cheaper.

[CAIDMASTEROFPYRO]

@TheHomeScientist thanks for the info

[TheHomeScientist]

@OEForty

Depends on what kind of inert you need. If all you need is a low-oxygen atmosphere, CO2 will often work. You can get that from dry ice or just by reacting baking soda with an acid.

[OEForty]

@TheHomeScientist dry ice worked nicely. A simple solution I couldn't see right in front of me. thanks!

[jesgillespie]

Excellent video. As a beginner finding all the chemicals at a price that can squeezed out of an already tight budget is the biggest challenge. I am book marking all the sites mentioned an dam sure they will all prove useful.

[joannelovesscience]

Good idea. I can easily get them at my U job, but most amateur chemists starting out may not know. :)

[homealchemy]

Once again very informative and educational. thanks Bruce!!!

[benderbrau81]

im assuming those sites are all mostly american and cater predominatly to the american public, but, being Australian would these sources still be applicable? either online or other physical salers in a reasonable location?

[TheHomeScientist]

@benderbrau81

Yes, as I mentioned at the beginning of the video, all of these sources are US-based. I have enough trouble keeping track of sources in the US, let alone other countries, but I assume that most developed countries have similar materials available in hardware stores, pottery suppliers, and so on.

As far as specialty chemicals, the sources I mention ship chemicals only to US addresses. From what I've heard from viewers and readers, there are similar sources in most countries.

[tjhowse]

@benderbrau81

If you're Brisbane-based there's a place near the suncorp stadium called "Pottery Supplies". Their URL ends in .com.au. I've bought the materials to build my furnace from them and they sell a tonne of weird stuff.

As for buying most other kinds of chemicals, I've found most lab supply shops around town to be loathe to sell even basic glassware to me. A friend of mine works at a lab, so I'm sure he could source something weird if ever I needed it.

[stirlingfromla]

Wow, great info, thanks!

[nanomid2007]

Make Magazine former employer?

Can you do a show on Shrinky Dink microfluidics?

Thanks!

[TheHomeScientist]

@nanomid2007

I'd love to, but I don't know anything about the subject.

[Petawatt]

I'm using calcium hypochlorite 47.6% (pool chemical) to clean my house siding. I'd like to make a solution that's about as strong as ordinary bleach to use in the laundry and for emergency water purification, but I don't understand the math. I suppose I need an equivalent "free chlorine". I have a reloading scale (grains, but I can convert that to mg)

Could you make a video on that topic? I'm sure the skills would be applical to other projects too.

[TheHomeScientist]

@Petawatt

I'd recommend you use standard chlorine bleach for both purposes. Your 47.6% calcium hypochlorite has more than half other chemicals, possibly including anti-fungals and other stuff you don't necessarily want in your laundry or your drinking water.

[Petawatt]

@TheHomeScientist

Good point. I'll try to source something purer. As is, I'm using 2 tsp per gallon of water and it seems great for general cleaning around the bathroom and household. Cheap too.

[vevenaneathna]

good stuff. very respectable quality videos like always.

[PaterasSatyrs]

Thanks for the info. I buy local at a place called High Valley Chemical in Utah, but sometimes need other things they don't carry.

[TheHomeScientist]

@PaterasSatyrs

Ah, you're lucky to have a good local source. I probably should have mentioned looking for a local specialty chemical vendor that's willing to sell to individuals, but there are so few of them left that it slipped my mind.

[eveningniteshade]

Unfortunately It's best to find out what chemicals are used in meth production, maybe MDMA production too. So when you buy it you can beaware that you may be seen as a drug manufacturer.

I would love to buy some crystal iodine, but apparently that's used in drug manufacture. so I wouldn't dare buy it for the purpose of fingerprint detection (as seen here on a previous video).

It's unfortunately a really overregulated world we live in now.

[TheHomeScientist]

@eveningniteshade

MakerShed sells it by the gram, which is sufficient to do many fingerprint runs. I think HMS Beagle has it as well. Or you can produce it yourself from potassium iodide.

[glenwoofit]

I buy lots of chemicals from large chemical suppliers in the UK and its never a problem. Sayin that I had CID (Police) around my house after a supplier sold Red P to the states and cause i bought some I think they wanted to see if i was a Meth Head after a quick chat they said nothing i had bought was against the law they just wanted to make sure i wasn't a child buying dangerous chemicals because they had no age check with the orders... Great vids and very interesting experiments, :-)

[TheHomeScientist]

@glenwoofit

Yeah, red phosphorus is a DEA List 1 chemical, and is very difficult for individuals to buy here in the US. It didn't used to be. As a teenager in the 60's, I had a pound bottle on the shelf.

[Santriell]

@TheHomeScientist

Isn't red phosphorus massively used in stuff like distress flares tho ? It used to be at least, I still have an old flare shell somewhere that clearly mentions having like 20% in it. Tho it may be a good 10-15 years old now ^__^

[TheHomeScientist]

@Santriell

Not as far as I know, although it may have been in the past. Some military flares use white phosphorus, but as far as I know the only use of red phosphorus is the small amounts used in strikers.

Distress flares usually use strontium nitrate both as the oxidizer and to provide a red flame in combination with some fuel, either carbon-based or sometimes powdered aluminum or magnesium.

[hydrus77]

nice intro

[ninjajim]

nice

[SierraAlphaSierra]

Awesome Video! I work at a pool store, and people would be surprised what chemicals are available at pool stores! Phenol red, bromothymol blue, methyl red, sodium bisulfate, sodium bromide, calcium hypochlorite, and calcium chloride just to name a few

[Heavyarmskai2000]

Very Very useful information. I am just starting to get into this type of home science. Ive worked mainly with my machining skills and im now branching out to electronic and chemical stuff. So thank you for the information

[Pipewing]

But how do you take hardware store lye, sulfuric acid or whatever and get it to a known purity to make solutions of exact molarity or molality? I don't know how to test and quantify purity most of the time ect.

[TheHomeScientist]

@Pipewing

Well, of course, you can never make up something to an *exact* molarity; there's always some degree of error. But it doesn't matter what the source of your chemicals is. If you want very accurate molarity, you still need to standardize the solutions by titration or another quantitative method.

You'll find the labels on hardware store and other technical chemicals are often useful. They'll tell you, for example, that a bottle contains 99% copper sulfate or 31.45% HCl or whatever.

[salsburyp]

@Pipewing Robert may be too modest to plug his own book here, but I'm not! :-) If you want to learn how to do these things, get the book! Watch the videos! He's showing the tools & techniques needed so you can learn how to take something, and work it up in purity until it suits your purpose.

It's a fantastic book. :-)

[Pipewing]

@salsburyp I actually have his book! I didn't realize it was him and I haven't really opened it yet. (I've been too busy) Cool.

[salsburyp]

@Pipewing Ahh, good for you! You're in for a treat! Bump it up higher on the list. You won't be disappointed. It re-activated my sleeping chem-geek, and I've read several MORE chem textbooks since then, and been learning a lot of great stuff about the building-blocks of the Universe. (Always handy!)

[amberpoovey]

It seems like most these days treat hobby scientists with disdain and assume they are either drug or bomb makers...have you ever run into trouble or had people suspicious of your purchases and demanded explanations for a products intended use?

I know Walmarts computer system is rigged to refuse certain combination purchases of chemical or equiptment (coffee filters, batteries, acetone, naptha...)with the idea it will be used in meth labs and the police will be notified.

[TheHomeScientist]

@amberpoovey

I've never had a problem, but then I usually buy chemicals when we're visiting Lowes, Home Depot, or whatever for other reasons. It probably is a bad idea to buy just chemicals all at the same time. If I were the cops and found someone who'd stopped by a gas station to buy 5 gallons of diesel fuel and then visited the lawn & garden shop for a 50 pound bag of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, I might be suspicious.

[salsburyp]

@amberpoovey That's the sad thing about most people who don't understand Chemistry. The only 2 things they can think of to do with it are bombs & meth. You should point out to them that every time they make some coffee, drink a soda, or in fact, BREATHE, they're doing chemistry.

There's a LOT more to this field than bombs & meth, so don't let the fear of those people hold you back from learning. Most often, people are curious & interested, rather than disdainful.

[dextor123]

can't see the vids there still is a error message

[vusiliyK]

Your videos are useful.

[BrotherBloat]

Great to see another release from you, sir! It's been a while, but well worth it as usual... :)

[twycross3]

Great video!!! Youtube doesn't have anything close to a video like this. Hopefully this will answer some of my needs. The nitric acid you mentioned was a heaven sent to me!!

[Bluetorchproductions]

Too bad i live in the UK, I think that we arent allowed to order potentialy hazardous products from anywhere outside the EU without a permit. I think!.

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

Roebic makes good stuff. 

[bamboo4tameshigiri]

@bamboo4tameshigiri And never forget United Nuclear! Check out their website, they don't discriminate against hobby chemists.