Sciencemadness Discussion Board

phenylacetic acid

driedfloral - 25-1-2010 at 22:42

could one obtain phenylacetic acid for attracting flies by somehow splitting the molecule of the common laxative ingredient bisacodyl?

turd - 25-1-2010 at 22:56

There are stupid questions and - sorry - this was one of the more stupid questions in the context of chemistry I have ever read/heard.

No you can't simply split that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisacodyl) molecule and even if you could you would get phenylacetate and not phenylacetic acid. Learn elementary chemistry and then post again.

Polverone - 26-1-2010 at 08:47

There are many introductory general and organic chemistry books online for free if you know where to look. Try for example searching for a title of interest plus the keywords 'rapidshare', 'rar', or 'pdf'. If you prefer paper, second-hand books intended for university undergraduates are also cheap and readily available through many sources.

For laboratory practice, our own open library is not a bad place to start. Google Books, the Internet Archive, and HathiTrust also have many thousands of free books on chemistry, albeit mostly archaic due to the ridiculous duration of copyright.

If you just want to invent shortcut answers to specific problems, like obtaining phenylacetic acid and anhydrous ammonia, and ask members to check your idea, you are just going to annoy members and get annoyed yourself. This site is not a free consultation service. Learn enough to show that you have put some effort into a problem and people will be more willing to help.

mr.crow - 26-1-2010 at 09:25

Whats that old saying, honey attracts more flies then vinegar?

I wonder if the OP was that clever

Lambda - 26-1-2010 at 11:22

Actually, Shit attracts Flies !

But if someone is unable to Shit, and thus can't produce this gullible substance that Flies so much crave, then by using a Laxative like Bisacodyl, may prove to be a relieving solution to this Constipation problem. Also, when "Shit hits the Fan", then Flies start to swarm, especially in Areas with temperatures over 27,4°C

Furthermore:

A potent attractant to fruit Flies is the smell of fresh baker yeast paste. Vinegar (normally 5%, but preferably with 10% Acetic Acid or Ethanoic Acid) also works pretty well.

Factors of attracting insects/flies according to their importance:

* light radiation UV-A and green colour
* pheromone lures
* lures with smell of food
* lures for laying eggs
* places to land and relevant smells
* sunlight
* Areas with the temperature over 27,4°C

Certain Mushroom Species are known to attract Flies !

Stinkhorn Fungi that attract Flies:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0504.htm

Fly Agric Mushroom - Amanita Muscaria:
http://www.mushroomfieldguides.com/fly-agric.html

And also:

How To Kill Flies:
http://www.epestsupply.com/flies.htm

Getting Rid of Flies Tips:
http://www.howtoguides365.com/how-to/get-rid-flies/

Fly Traps:
http://www.catch-fly.com/flytraps.php

How to Trap and Kill Fruit Flies:
http://www.professorshouse.com/food-beverage/food/how-to-kil...

Flies attracting Compositions and Bait:

US Patent 4855133 - Composition for attracting Flies
European Patent EP0765601 - Bait to attract Flies
US Patent 5356621 - Method of attracting Flies
Baits for Bugs (Science News Letter, 28 July 1956)


iFile.it Download Link (2.16 MB):
http://ifile.it/eztdl5c

I hope this info may help you.

Lambda

watson.fawkes - 26-1-2010 at 14:08

Quote: Originally posted by Lambda  
Actually, Shit attracts Flies !
Wonderful information. Perhaps OP will considering using one of these alternate techniques, as OP has apparently neglected to take into account that phenylacetic acid also attracts pigs.

entropy51 - 26-1-2010 at 14:42

Watson, you misspelled pig$ again!

Lambda - 26-1-2010 at 16:51

@watson.fawkes,

Shit attracts Flies = Pigs ---> MDA $$$$$$ :o :P

Our noses are continuously bleeding in ignorance, now surely @driedfloral dose not want to make Amphetamine ? :o

On a Hot Summer Day, a guy was going to catch some fish by using fly larvae which he had bought from a fishing shop, and had left them in his car in a small box container a few days prior to this exciting trip (would boar the hell out of me though) to the waterways. Very Exited about what he was going to undertake that day (boring fuck), and walking towards his car, he noted (apparently he was not yet completely brain dead) that his car windows had lost there transparency. When he had finally approached his car, and opened the door, he back-flipped onto his fat ass after being hit by a revolving tsunami of flies leaving his with micro shits infested palace on wheels. The fools day was stopped in it's tracks by the impact of a sledge hammer, leaving many happy fishes to enjoy an other day. The larvae container had fallen down in his car, and opened up !! :(

There are those who bring fly swarms on themselves, and those who bring fly swarms to others ! :D

Lambda

watson.fawkes - 26-1-2010 at 17:38

Quote: Originally posted by entropy51  
Watson, you misspelled pig$ again!
No real need to anymore, now that many jurisdictions now put civil forfeiture money into the general fund, rather than allocating it directly to the law enforcement budget.

havarti_gouda - 26-1-2010 at 17:53

There are numerous documented routes to phenylacetic acid, many of which are quite available to the chemist with the resources and skills to utilize them. I would consider myself a novice when it comes to chemistry and still learning most basics and even I could smell the metaphoric fecal matter (of pigs!) emanating from this post.

The OP may want to just stick to dissolving sugar in water and throwing it all over her kitchen to attract flies, or go ahead and call up Aldrich, or any other major chem supplier, and attempt to place an order for phenylacetone-du-jour and something will be attracted. Might not be flies. Or, *prize suggestion* just google for Rhodium chemistry archive, read as much as possible, and maybe, just maybe, mysteries will be solved. But honestly, I would suggest avoiding that whole matter. Seems like a big ol' headache, especially since there will always be major competition.

And before you ask, no, there's not enough morphine in your dried floral arrangements to make diacetylmorphine synthesis worthwhile. (*Low blow*) :-)

JohnWW - 26-1-2010 at 18:27

In my part of New Zealand, where it is high summer with daytime temperatures at my place (in full sun with a northerly aspect) often reaching the 27.4ºC mentioned above, there is simply no need to try to attract flies!

BTW Those smells mentioned above, and also things like cayenne pepper, could be used to mask suspicious drug scents which would be detected by the drug dogs employed by the Pigs.

dann2 - 26-1-2010 at 19:40

Hello,

@Driedfloral
The replies have been very unhelpful. I would hope that the rudeness and lack of understanding has not knocked the bottom out of your world.
If you feel that the bottom has fallen out of your world, take a <strike>double</strike> treble dose of Bisacodyl (or indeed Andrews Liver Salts if other side of pond) and you will feel the world fall out of your bottom!

@Lambda
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Try Uncle Festers book, Secrets of Methamphetamine Manufacture for info. on making Phenylacetic Acid. Mind you don't burn yourself with the stuff.

Some more useful info.
How do you keep flies off of the butter?
Shit on the table.
and with that useful end note I will take my leave........

Dann2

turd - 27-1-2010 at 12:59

Quote: Originally posted by dann2  

The replies have been very unhelpful.

To be fair, the OP got a direct answer to the question in the first reply (*patselfonback*) and a useful guideline in the second reply. That this thread would attract the usual crowd of sociopaths who feel the need to bolster their ego by being snotty to strangers on the internet like shit attracts flies (cough) was inevitable. I guess that's just something one has to live with.

entropy51 - 27-1-2010 at 16:23

Quote: Originally posted by turd  
That this thread would attract the usual crowd of sociopaths who feel the need to bolster their ego by being snotty to strangers on the internet like shit attracts flies (cough) was inevitable. I guess that's just something one has to live with.
Mr turd, this thread is clearly related to insect pheromones, and your comment is off-topic.
Quote: Originally posted by turd  
Please discuss this kind of things in legal or whimsy.

driedfloral - 27-1-2010 at 20:43

thanks and sorry
I did think since this is called a discussion board that is what it was meant for and I don't recall cleavage of molecules being in ANY GENERAL chemistry book therefore I am sorry since I studied GENERAL chemistry and I had an idea I wanted to DISCUSS this would be a good place to DISCUSS a subject (again this being a DISCUSSION BOARD) and thank you for telling me how to find a book to do my own research and no I don't want to make amphetamine if I wanted to do that I would have done that

the subject of obtaining non OTC chemicals from OTC and/or metals and/or DC current is a fascinating subject, like I said I don't want to do anything illegal if I wanted to do so i would have done so long ago, I am sorry to annoy all you chemistry gods with my annoying discussion on this discussion board, I should be shot, but I shall bow down before you 1st of course oh mighty ones, I am going to cut and paste something directly from the top of this page for all you gods to see her it is
Sciencemadness Discussion Board did any of you gods see the word discussion in what I cut and pasted? sorry for discussing and thank you to those who truly tried to help, I guess I'll watch TV now no wait that's what it's there for watching someone might get annoyed

driedfloral - 27-1-2010 at 20:51

you guys are funny, thanks for the laugh and teaching me how to shit:P

driedfloral - 27-1-2010 at 20:55

yes sir Mr turd

entropy51 - 28-1-2010 at 15:27

Quote:
did any of you gods see the word discussion in what I cut and pasted?
There was plenty of discussion above, I don't know how you missed it.

Oh, now I see. You wanted to lead the discussion. That would fall into the "herding cats" category.

Panache - 28-1-2010 at 22:26

Boiling fennel seeds in vinegar (acetic acid) would produce phenyl acetic acid readily and easily, well i imagine it would, the names match up so it must work.

leu - 29-1-2010 at 06:02

As has been said before:

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

:cool:

MagicJigPipe - 30-1-2010 at 14:31

I thought this post was a joke until I saw his other ones.

I don't believe for a second that you have taken General Chemistry driedfloral because that would also imply that you have also taken English Composition or at least some grammar course.

Although I have seen people get through those classes having learned nothing (they stored it all in their short term memory and they also don't retain any of it because they have absolutely no interest; it's hard to learn when you are consumed by apathy).

[Edited on 1-30-2010 by MagicJigPipe]