The Home Chemistry Enthusiast

[Mercedes Benzene]

It is probably accurate that there are a few chemistry enthusiasts here on Hypography.

What I want to know, is WHAT do these people do at home related to chemical practices?

 

Are you currently performing any experiments to prove or better understand something?

Do your perform experiments/reactions for the enjoyment of yourself or others?

Do you have a particular hobby that relates directly to chemistry in some way (eg: art, model rocketing, etc)?

Please feel free to share any current projects or things you would like to try. :naughty:

[Heresy]

Being that I'm a poor college student, my options are quite limited due to the fact that I don't have a license to buy chemicals, nor the money.

 

However I do get by without it! Thermite is a good weekend make, and it's relatively safe.

 

One of my goals though would be to make liquid nitrogen. The problem is however that the containers needed to hold this substance are expensive.

[WithoutWax]

Being a poor highschool student doesn't help much, either.

I suppose if I had the resources, I would perform experiments for my own enjoyment.

 

I plan on going into Science Journalism or something else where I can work indirectly with Chemistry as a career. Until I graduate from highschool, I have limited resources, especially because I can't say to my mother "I'll need your kitchen today because I'll be working with dangerous chemicals." We live in a cheap little apartment - definitely not suitable for real chemicals to enjoy real expiriments.

 

Liquid Nitrogen was fun in my Chem class last year, though.

[theblackalchemist]

as you must be knowing MB , my intrests in alchemy takes me to sites which i never known , you get the biggest of success in the smallest of sites ,

i presume that i have most of the alchemical texts that are available in the net, so if this's chemistry for you i have also found how to make purple gold , ruby glass, and a few more

 

TBA

[eric l]

Thermite is a good weekend make, and it's relatively safe.

 

Thermite relatively safe ? Better think of it as an EXPLOSIVE !!!

 

Read something about it on this other forum :

Thermite - The Naked Scientists Science Discussion Forum

or check the item about safety in the Wikipedia article

Thermite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[JackOfTraDeZ]

when i was a teenager i could order nitric and sulfuric acids from the back of popular science magazine, and have UPS ship them to my door. i thence went about nitrating everything i could ...

 

 

pyro is a fascinating subject. try it today and you get arrested for terrorism! i see the chemistry sets available today and i want to cry. all the FUN has been taken out for political correctness. if i was a kid today i would not be getting into chemistry - not much exciting anymore.

 

there really isn't much you can do at home with chemistry now (legally).

if nothing else, everything is much more regulated due to environmental concerns.

 

there are a few places left however. try United Nuclear .....

[JackOfTraDeZ]

thermite is not an explosive at all. it is a mixture of fine powder aluminum and rust (iron oxide). when ignited (hot flame, like magnesium is needed) the metals exchange and iron is produced. lotsa heat and light also. melts just about everything. used to be used as a quick and dirty field source of iron, like to repair railroad rails.

 

 

wanna try a cute variation? replace the iron oxide with copper oxide .......<G>

i'll let you find out

[pianoman1976]

 

One of my goals though would be to make liquid nitrogen. The problem is however that the containers needed to hold this substance are expensive.

 

You should be able to find used liquid N containers in the $100 range. The equipment required for synthesis will cost you a bundle though. ;)

[palmtreepathos]

I am wondering how a new advertized shower cleaning spray works. Over a few days it seems to kill the fungi/bacteria that clings to shower walls... but by what action do you think? ;)

 

I would like to remove bacterial stains from white polypropylene buckets without rendering them toxic. I am using the sun (after a biologically safe cleanser is used)with limited sucess now.

 

Posted By Mercedes Benzene

Iodine is a fairly good choice for a chemical antiseptic, and is preferable to bleach or chlorine. You really shouldn't have to worry about it being dangerous as long as an appropriate concentration is used.

 

Is it possible that this is the active ingredient? Or maybe a weak solution of

35% Food Grade H2o2?

[Mercedes Benzene]

Is it possible that this is the active ingredient? Or maybe a weak solution of

35% Food Grade H2o2?

Probably not. I only meant that it was preferable to Orby's particular situation (purifying water).

If you want to know exactly what is in your cleaner, just check the bottle. It will have the active ingredients listed. It wouldn't be [ce]H2O2[/ce] because it's too unstable and would probably react violently with any other ingredients in the spray.

 

If you really want to get clever, try buying a bacteriological UV light. You can find them pretty cheap if you look around, and they're very effective.

[palmtreepathos]

Thanks! I have a UV set up and bulb already. It would involve running an extension out to the yard which is still do-able just not as convenient as a spray bottle. I did look at the ingredients on the spray bottle of said "shower cleaner" and did not see anything other that fragrance and surfactant. Doing further online research showed up this list in a FAQ

Q. What are the ingredients?

A. Both Original and Mountain Rain contain the same ingredients. Only the fragrance is different. Water, surfactant, EDTA and fragrance are the ingredients.

 

Q. Does it contain:

Acetone No

Acid No

Alcohol No

Ammonia No

Baking soda No

Balsam of peru No

Bleach No

Chelate Yes

Chlorine No

Citrus No

Cobalt No

Formaldehyde No

Gluten No

Harsh chemicals No

Lemon No

Petroleum No

Phenol No

Pine No

Salicylates No

Sulfur No

Surfactants Yes

Thimerosal No

Vinegar No

and this

More specialised uses of EDTA are:

Food: added as preservative to prevent catalytic oxidation by metal ions or stabilizer and for iron fortification.[citation needed]

Approved by the FDA as a preservative in packaged foods, vitamins, and baby food.

Personal care: added to cosmetics to improve product stability.[citation needed]

Oil production: added into the borehole to inhibit mineral precipitation.[citation needed]

Dairy and beverage industry: cleaning milk stains from bottles.[citation needed]

Flue gas cleaning: removal of NOx.

Dentistry as a root canal irrigant to remove organic and inorganic debris (smear layer).[citation needed]

Soft drinks containing ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate, to mitigate formation of benzene (a carcinogen).[citation needed]

Recycling: recovery of lead from used lead acid batteries.

Medicine:

 

EDTA is used in chelation therapy for acute hypercalcemia, mercury poisoning and lead poisoning[4].

Combined with chromium, EDTA is used to evaluate kidney function. It is administered intravenously and its filtration into the urine is monitored. This method is considered the gold standard for evaluating glomerular filtration rate, Cr-EDTA's sole way out of the body is via glomerular filtration as it is not secreted or metabolised in any other way.

Used as anticoagulant for blood samples

In veterinary ophthalmology EDTA may be used as an anticollagenase to prevent the worsening of corneal ulcers in animals.

Some laboratory studies also suggest that EDTA chelation may prevent collection of platelets ([or plaque] which can otherwise lead to formation of blood clots and prevent blood flow) on the walls of blood vessels [such as arteries]. These ideas are theoretical, however. [3]

 

Che·late (kē'lāt')

Chemistry. To combine (a metal ion) with a chemical compound to form a ring.

Medicine. To remove (a heavy metal, such as lead or mercury) from the bloodstream by means of a chelate, such as EDTA.

 

EDTA (ē'dē-tē-ā') n.

A crystalline acid, C10H16N2O8, that acts as a strong chelating agent. The sodium salt of EDTA is used as an antidote for metal poisoning, an anticoagulant, and an ingredient in a variety of industrial reagents.

 

Does this sound like the active ingredient? What is in these buckets goes into my organic compost and garden and they are refilled every couple of weeks. I need something with truly benign residue. They use this in food and therapy so it sounds safe enough.

 

at least this guy thinks so....

To prove its safety, Adam Lowry, one of Method's co-founders, drank a shot of Method Daily Shower Spray while taping an infomercial in Japan. While it smells great, method tastes terrible. Please, never drink method!:thumbs_up

 

I have seen it work in the shower too, quite impressive. If I could make such a spray w/o the fragrance it may be just what I need. Maybe the unscented at the dollar store would be acceptable. hmmmm... In the mean time when it stops raining I may go try the UV light. Thanks again...