Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Stories of extremely chemophobic parents and yours :p

Stories of extremely chemophobic parents and yours :p

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Cou - 5-6-2013 at 13:51

My mom is probably the biggest chemophobe you will have ever seen; I mean, all I do is boil some water and she yells "TOXIC GASES! YOU ARE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU WILL GET CANCER!" My dad thinks it is stupid too but he compares it with my extreme germophobia; I never eat at fast food restaurants out of my fear of food poisoning. I'm just lucky that she wasn't home when I accidentally made sulfuric acid fumes in the house; I would be in jail because our arguments sometimes get so heated she screams "YOU LITTLE ASS I HATE YOU!!!! I'M GONNA PUT YOU IN A SPECIAL SCHOOL, YOU HAVE PROBLEMS! GO AHEAD AND KILL YOURSELF, MAKE YOURSELF SICK" and she threatens to call the police. Luckily she hasn't actually done it yet. Latest one is when I was decomposing copper carbonate to copper oxide, she proceeded to chase me into my bathroom and try to spank me, almost broke down the door trying to get in, and she actually left the house and went to a store to get away from "fumes". CARBON DIOXIDE IS A NOT A TOXIC CANCER-CAUSING FUME.

Did I mention that my mom didn't go to college, is 56 years old so school didn't teach her this stuff, and knows NOTHING about chemicals, not even that salt is sodium chloride? Stupid people are the most dangerous people

TL;DR: My interest in chemistry has resulted in a bad relationship and broken bonds with my mom.

Do you have any stories with chemophobes like mine?

[Edited on 5-6-2013 by Cou]

elementcollector1 - 5-6-2013 at 13:56

My mom is similar, but not quite as crazy - she does notice 'fumes' that aren't there, does scream bloody murder whenever I do something dangerous in the garage and not outside, blames me for whatever holes find their way into my clothes... but it never comes to physical harm. You need help. As in, get her a chemistry textbook.
Also, never EVER show her a MSDS of any type.

papaya - 5-6-2013 at 13:59

Now imagine she discovers that you've registered in this forum and are not alone anymore :O A little criminal, for sure

elementcollector1 - 5-6-2013 at 14:00

Actually, it's the other way around: Now that she knows that most of my processes are the result of collaboration with other people my age or higher, she actually feels the tiniest bit safer than if I had come up with them on my own - and rightly so!

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 14:16

I also would like to point out that when she was a little kid, she would eat pieces of lead under the window... so it definitely may have stunted her brain.

She just severely exaggerates how dangerous chemicals are. Whoops, I opened the cork on the flask filled with chlorine and breathed in just a tiny bit, like a few PPM... "YOU ARE GOING TO KILL YOURSELF YOU LITTLE ASS, KIDS SHOULD NOT HAVE CHEMICALS" Whoops, I got a tiny dust-sized drop of hydrochloric acid on my skin... "YOU ARE GOING TO BURN OFF YOUR HAND, STOP USING THAT DAMN ACID"

I know she's trying to protect me, but people like this are the same people in the DEA who break down doors and arrest people over baking soda

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Cou - 5-6-2013 at 14:26

Quote: Originally posted by papaya

Now imagine she discovers that you've registered in this forum and are not alone anymore :O A little criminal, for sure

That is the reason I regularly clear my internet history

papaya - 5-6-2013 at 14:29

Don't think compromise is possible, you cannot change the world rather must accommodate to it and try to find some ways to continue with what you like so much without irritating others (hint: nobody must suspect you're involved in something soo suspicious

)

papaya - 5-6-2013 at 14:37

[/rquote]That is the reason I regularly clear my internet history[/rquote]
Nearly all browsers have a private mode option, also what I wanted to say - eating lead is dangerous, what if some genetic defects resulted from it were transferred to you and that's why you're not normal she thinks and gonna kill yourself ? (sorry can't be too serious, as the topic dictates)

phlogiston - 5-6-2013 at 14:38

My parents were a little chemophobic as well, (though not as quite bad as you describe). However, with the benefit of hindsight they now see how all that eventually led to me earning a PhD. They still keep some of my old birthday wishlists which listed tubing and all kinds of chemicals and books in an old box in the attic and we have a good laugh about those days every now and then. My mom calls me occasionally to get advice on what chemicals to use to remove all kinds of stains. Just hang on, keep reading as much as you can and keep your experiments responsible and safe. Your freedom will improve as you get older.

plante1999 - 5-6-2013 at 14:40

My father is different from your family members, my father does think I'm knowledgeable enough, and I know what I'm doing. Chemicals doesn't scare him at all, however, he now knows HCl gas is not good for steel...

I made some mark in and on the house at some place, but mostly in the garage, I know he doesn't like it, but he accept that it is my hobby.

On a side anecdote, at one point my father smelled a very funky smell in the garage, I told him the things I made smelled strong and acrid, but he did not believe me, so he started smelling all my stuff, I told him to stop but yea... When he smelled the chloroform bottle he said: " this shit is strong as hell, might do a good solvent"

elementcollector1 - 5-6-2013 at 14:42

All the tools in our garage rusted because I used HCl inside over and over again. Eventually we figured it out, and now I keep the HCl outside, or at least away from the metal.

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 14:46

Quick question, I know that inhaling lead fumes stunts the brain for children, but how about someone my age? I'm worried because I'm smart but I just melted lead. My mom ate a lot of lead as a toddler and that is probably the reason why she didn't go to college and ended up like this

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elementcollector1 - 5-6-2013 at 14:54

Pfff. It takes years for lead to play a role in making you stupid.

DrSchnufflez - 5-6-2013 at 14:57

My mothers sense of smell seems to be heightened by many magnitudes as soon as she steps into my lab

cyanureeves - 5-6-2013 at 15:06

uh .i used to bite the lead off .22 cal bullets when i was a kid and i mean a bunch...uhh what was i talkin bout? oh yeah and i smoked weed too.dude everybody is chemophobic.i am 52 and everybody i know turns chemophobic as soon as i tell them anything about chemicals even copper salts. i had an electrical engineer walk off during our conversation when i showed him copper acetate crystals i grew at work.blue crystals! can you believe that?

papaya - 5-6-2013 at 15:07

Occasionally melting lead is not so dangerous (if you don't make powder and start inhaling), but beware of it's salts, especially soluble ones! Believe me I know what I say - once I tried to make nitrate out of metal and when done (more or less successful) I did something stupid: I took the glassware that contacted with solution and started to wash it, and after spraying few times with water I started to rub it with BARE hands.. Don't know how such a minute quantity of it that remained there and after washing thoroughly my hands could enter my body but the result was Painful - I didn't notice anything for a day, then I woke up in the night and had pains in all my body parts, in stomach, head and even bones, high temperature also.. It lasted about 2 days, that time I preferred to die if you ask - fever you can't get rid of it and all you know you will not die because the quantity was really small. Now I avoid it's salts as much as possible, however didn't develop any irrational fear of it, I'm just taking safety much important than before.
So be careful, don't play with anything poisonous, try to get information before you do any experiment, but even then your pants will be in holes with H2SO4 you mentioned

Finnnicus - 5-6-2013 at 15:10

My mother totally flipped her shit when I was dehydrating MgSO4, Na2CO3 in the oven, also when decomposing CuCO3, small amounts of hydrogen sulfide were produced, yet again shit was flipped.

EDIT: The last one I was doing in the shed, don't freak out.

[Edited on 5-6-2013 by Finnnicus]

DrSchnufflez - 5-6-2013 at 15:15

I ran a silicon thermite boosted with sulfur. When it came to hydrolysing the aluminium sulfide I used a copper sulfate scrubber then burnt the off gas. Couldn't smell a hint of H2S but when it came to opening the erlenmeyer and a little H2S was released mum went absolutely mad. All of this was conducted outside.

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 15:18

Quote: Originally posted by papaya

Occasionally melting lead is not so dangerous (if you don't make powder and start inhaling), but beware of it's salts, especially soluble ones! Believe me I know what I say - once I tried to make nitrate out of metal and when done (more or less successful) I did something stupid: I took the glassware that contacted with solution and started to wash it, and after spraying few times with water I started to rub it with BARE hands.. Don't know how such a minute quantity of it that remained there and after washing thoroughly my hands could enter my body but the result was Painful - I didn't notice anything for a day, then I woke up in the night and had pains in all my body parts, in stomach, head and even bones, high temperature also.. It lasted about 2 days, that time I preferred to die if you ask - fever you can't get rid of it and all you know you will not die because the quantity was really small. Now I avoid it's salts as much as possible, however didn't develop any irrational fear of it, I'm just taking safety much important than before.
So be careful, don't play with anything poisonous, try to get information before you do any experiment, but even then your pants will be in holes with H2SO4 you mentioned

Does metallic lead do that too, or just the salts? Not going to be making lead chloride anymore

cyanureeves - 5-6-2013 at 15:25

wait Cou you are 14 yrs. old? and you filled your house with sulfuric fumes?take care of your home and be careful and i hope you mind your mom at all other times.

papaya - 5-6-2013 at 15:31

May be, don't eat with that hands anymore

No, really be careful and watch for symptoms - usually stomach pains (not extremely acute) and headache, though you may get poisoned without any of these at lower concentrations, also you must know there's no simple antidote and it accumulates in bones, the high level may be in your blood even after years.. Also that lead you have is not necessarily is the pure metal - depends where it comes and may contain Sb or even arsenic(from batteries, right?)! the latter may kill you easily. PbCL2 is relatively insoluble in cold water and I don't see any uses of it.
Now tell us - how much of this you knew before starting with that? Your mother was right, young terrorist

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 19:43

Well she isn't just freaking out over the dangerous stuff (to be honest I melted the lead while she wasn't close by because my mothers's fear of lead means she never even uses pencils) she freaks out over just simple stuff, like melting copper sulfate and decomposing copper carbonate.

Also, the lead is from this spool of lead I found, don't know what it is for, probably solder

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 20:01

Warning, long rant ahead:

Funny but extremely stressful that ever since I got chemicals, we have gotten in extremely heated violence 2 or 3 times a day. I sound like every teenager but my parents are RETARDED... you CANNOT make toxic gases by decomposing copper carbonate, the electrolysis of copper sulfate does NOT make toxic gases that kill you, I can ****ing show them a chemical page that shows every reaction without gases, and they use the same old comeback "I DO NOT WANT FUMES IN MY HOUSE PERIOD" and it makes me want to break a door so they have to pay for their stupidity! And I always thought my programmer of a dad was smart... today I learned he is just as dumb and stupid as everyone else. WHERE IS HIS REASONING? This is why I want to live with my brother. And also why I secretly do this safe stuff that they complain about while they aren't home.

There are many times where the parent is the wise one stopping their kids from doing something stupid. Like when a daredevil teenager wants to skateboard off the roof, their parents yell "NO, YOU WILL BREAK YOUR BONES", either they don't do it and live, or disobey them and end up in the hospital. But, I AM THE ONE who knows the CERTAIN TRUE SCIENTIFIC LAW OF THE UNIVERSE FACT that decomposing copper carbonate only makes carbon dioxide, and they probably make much more in their fireplace! Why don't I put out the fireplace in winter and tell them "STOP IT, YOU ARE MAKING TOXIC CARBON MONOXIDE, YOU WILL KILL YOURSELF" so they can see how it feels? Since it IS a fundamental truth that a fireplace makes carbon monoxide, which is a lot more toxic than any fumes from my chemicals. So I am AGAIN the correct one here.

TL;DR it is a fundamental truth that riding the skateboard off the roof will put you in the hospital, and it is good for a parent to stop them from doing that. But it also a fundamental truth that the decomposition of copper carbonate doesn't make any toxic gases, so it would be wrong for a parent to prevent that, and in this case the child is the correct one. But then, the parents don't want to end up looking wrong, so they use something like "I DON'T WANT IT IN THE HOUSE, PERIOD" to win anyway.

Okay, your turn to rant.

I believe that if I secretly recorded my mom during one of her chemophobia panic attacks, it would become a youtube sensation; titled "Mom goes on a rampage over chemicals"
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zenosx - 5-6-2013 at 20:09

Wait, she freaks out over pencils? She does realize there is no "lead" in "lead pencils" right? I think you should very carefully introduce your mother to maybe Wikipedia. I bet she could spend weeks dispelling her fears of your hobby (and generating new ones).
I agree to NEVER ever and I mean EVER let her see a MSDS. They read like a side effects commercial for drugs on TV.

I am not exactly sure how to handle this situation, although, I have always felt that education can always dispel the darkness.
When you plan to do anything, show her websites etc., on why it's not dangerous. And if it is dangerous, don't show her and be smart

. IF it is not dangerous (or you can play it that way), show her what you are doing, using videos if you can find them. Eventually she may see that she is just irrationally afraid.

Sadly I know of a 21 year old woman that has no drivers license or car, and still relies on her mother to take her ANYWHERE she intends to go. She is working on a BA in business but I am not sure how she will ever apply such a degree when she has NO life experience.

My soon to be wife can be the same way. Although it's not (you are going to kill yourself you stupid shit! (this is a rather harsh thing to say to a kid I would NEVER say this to mine....),
Instead I get (It Stinks down here!!!) EG: The garage/lab. She will say this if I even OPEN a bottle of acetone.....

To show my willingness to teach my child, tomorrow we are going to precipitate acetylsalicylic acid together with HCl from a basic solution. The standard, dissolve aspirin, basify and filter the insolubles, then precipitate from acidification. I always love the look on his face when he sees a clear solution contact another clear solution and turn into a fluffy white powder.

He is 8 years old, and yes he wears a face shield, gloves and coat, and the addition is from a funnel so there is nil exposure with supervision. He also loves to see gummy bears and other sugar's ignite on contact with molten chlorates

Maybe he'll be a chemist yet, who knows..

It's sad to see other parents with no will to let their children learn. I doubt there are many that are getting children to have gummy bear fires and acetylsalicylic precipitations in this day n age of methamphetamine and chemophobia, but maybe my son will be the next great pharmacopoeia chemist.

TLDR:;

I feel for your situation, and I hope that you can find some way to deal with it as it seems like blind fear to me....

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 20:18

I believe that my parents are actually doing this because they know I am right (after all I am the one whom's internet history is filled with "[chemical name] - Wikipedia" pages) but don't want to admit it. When I asked my mom "Why don't you want me to do this?" she said "You don't need to be doing this, it's useless" so I responded "Well other play video games, they are useless and they don't need to play games, but they play games and no one tells them to stop! You watch your television, but you don't need to? So what is your point?" she responded with "No, I watch TV to relax" and then didn't answer anything else I said. She also doesn't want me using the stove because "DA CHEMICALS WILL GET IN MY FOOOOD" even though it's not like i'm POURING it directly in the food. I was forced to stop using the stove though because my dad threatened to throw away all the chemicals

Also I'm really really determined on this hobby because I've kind of run out of stuff to do, I learned to ride a unicycle and to solve the 11x11 rubik's cube, I already played with all the science simulations on the internet that exist, all the games I like, I can't play sports because I am small boned, so I'm left with this.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by Cou]

chemcam - 5-6-2013 at 20:47

Well... it really isn't good practice to use kitchen appliances for experiments, you can't blame them for that. They are just afraid of what they don't understand, go look through the kitchen for what your parents eat and write down the chemicals in them and explain it, nicely, don't force feed it. Explain to them that every single object is made from chemicals and they interact with them all day. Demonstrate your knowledge of safety. Being 14 you can't expect your parents to trust you.

And by the way how did you fill your house with "sulfuric acid" fumes? do you mean like SO2 or something?

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 21:13

It was just a small concentration of fumes from evaporating sulfuric acid, probably SO2 or SO3, I learned to make sure all sulfuric acid is removed before trying to boil something. Opened all the windows quickly before my mom got home and saw the fog

Cou - 5-6-2013 at 21:14

It's funny though how my mom says she smells fumes, puts her shirt over her nose and complains of a headache even when I'm not doing anything that makes gas and I don't smell anything, lol... Proves that it is all in her head but she still won't believe me.

I have an experiment of my own... Ask if I'm allowed to boil sulfuric acid, when my mom says no, I go boil a liquid without saying it is acid... but I'm not actually boiling acid, it's just water! See if she complains of fumes and covers her nose, if she does, reveal it is water just by pouring it on my skin and drinking it, let her freak out a bit and say that it was just water. That should teach her a good lesson with a good old scare

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binaryclock - 5-6-2013 at 21:33

Cou, you need to listen to your parents. It is their house not yours.

[ removed pointless rant ]

What I'd do if I were you is talk to her, tell her you know that your experiments scare her. If I were you, I'd Tell her you're going to do them outside now because you respect her health and household. A little respect and understanding goes so far dude.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by binaryclock]

Variscite - 5-6-2013 at 22:38

Im also a teenage chemist, I just turned 15 a few days ago. Im currently geting a lab set up in my backyard in an old stone shed. My mom doesnt care about me doing chemistry and knows since im a smart kid that I will always gauge the danger level of the experiment and take the necessary safety precautions for my family, the enviroment and myself. My dad is supportive of my chemistry hobby and gave me the shed in the backyard, he also helps fund me by giving me jobs to work for him. Im guessing he also thinks the same way about the precautions as my mom. My dad is educated about chemicals (as he used to work in labs). I love the my parents are supportive of my hobby

chemcam - 5-6-2013 at 22:55

I even have my own place and my mom stills worries about what I do. In her eyes I am a mad scientist cloning babies and breeding mutant animals. My dad on the otherhand is very interested and even comes over for demos and such.

Good mothers are hard wired to care for their children and worry. You can't blame them, biology made them the way they are to preserve our species.

adamsium - 5-6-2013 at 23:29

I was reading through this thread and was going to make very similar comments to binaryclock's (I read your post before you edited out the middle part - not sure why you deleted it… it was perfectly reasonable).

A few points to consider:

before

Good luck with your parents and I hope you can find a healthier way of dealing with family issues than public internet rants.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by adamsium]

InertGas - 5-6-2013 at 23:30

Quote: Originally posted by Cou

...TL;DR: My interest in chemistry has resulted in a bad relationship and broken bonds with my mom...

With respect, everything you say in this thread suggests to me that the relationship with your mom was poor even before you became interested in chemistry.

I'm pretty sure you'll think it harsh but, as someone who was a teenager (long, long ago) and who is now a parent, I think you simply have to accept your mom's rules. What you say and how you say it leads me to very much doubt if you're going to be able to change her opinions. What you say about how she treats you suggests that she has little respect for you, so why should she listen to your explanations? Further, the opinions you express about her her suggest that the lack of respect is mutual, so I wonder if your efforts to explain and deal with her fears are always calm, reasoned and totally rational?

But for all that there appears to be a big gulf between you and your mom, it does seem from what you say that she is concerned for your well-being. How she expresses that concern for you may be poorly-expressed and based on ignorance about what you're doing, but surely she would just tell you to take your "dangerous" experiments outside the house if she didn't care about you?

It seems to me that the bottom line is that, if someone forbids something in the house that they pay for, then that wish should be respected, no matter how absurd it might seem. I imagine you wouldn't go visit a friend and start performing experiments in their parent's kitchen without permission, so why should you treat your parents' wishes with any less respect?

Ignorance is often very hard to cure, particularly when irrational fears are involved and especially when the person wanting to do the curing is the child of the ignorant person. It seems to me that you have a choice of either continuing your policy of sneaking around behind your mom's back whenever you can and dealing with the noisy, sometimes violent confrontations when you inevitably get caught, or you can try to reach some sort of negotiated agreement on where you can do your experiments in a place and a way such that your mom can feel that neither her safety or yours is in danger. I assume that, if you were able to convince a teacher that you should be allowed to do independent chemistry work at school, your mom would not believe that you were in serious danger.

Finally, I'd just like to say that I don't quite see the relevance of you mentioning in the first post that your mom is 56 and doesn't have a degree. My experience is that neither wisdom or foolishness is a function of age. My experience also is that people with university degrees can say and do some pretty damn stupid, irrational stuff.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by InertGas]

DrSchnufflez - 6-6-2013 at 00:33

I would have to agree with inertgas as his words are quite true. You have to respect your parents before they will respect you. Another thing to think about as she probably didn't have a fantastic education in chemistry and most of that will have been forgotten. Chemistry is fairly difficult to pick up so what are irrational fears to you would be quite rational to her.
Try to understand her point and talk to her about reactions before you do them

Finnnicus - 6-6-2013 at 01:36

What I did (am now doing), is to write up all the stuff I do, then (this next step is actually a lot more complex than this) have it improved, approved and critiqued by my school's most senior (what a joke, we have 2 teachers that know anything about chemistry) chemistry teacher, which is then shown to mother; all is good.

papaya - 6-6-2013 at 02:38

Didn't expect the half of this forum members are pupils under 18, and perhaps the other part of forum doesn't show up frequently.. A nice kind of detector thread, thanks Cou

plante1999 - 6-6-2013 at 02:50

This forum is composed of young member, or quite "settled" up member, with a family and house etc.

As for cou and is mother stuff, you should listen to her, even if it seams weird. At the start my father very often said argg it smell "x" inside the garage, but now he is sure I'm safe in what I do, after about 5 years of experiments. My father doesn't mind using his paypal to buy me stuff (or to sell my stuff) I need, even if doesn't know what it is, he simply say:"are you sure that's what you want?" My mother knew I was safe in my things, but it bothered her much more than my father, but she accepted it. I still get jokes from her, when I asked her to go out of the car to buy some glycerin at the pharmacy, she said something about me going to make explosive and that she was not stupid, I said no, and that if I wanted to blow something up, it would have been done long ago.

binaryclock - 6-6-2013 at 09:10

Quote: Originally posted by papaya

Didn't expect the half of this forum members are pupils under 18, and perhaps the other part of forum doesn't show up frequently.. A nice kind of detector thread, thanks Cou

If you go look at the forum member pictures you will see alot of people are under 18, and quite a healthy number in their 30-50s and 60s+.

I'm so happy to see people under 18 enjoying chemistry these days! When I was 13-14, I had a chemistry set and loved it. I remember playing with it in my parent's basement, but I was too scared to try most of the experiements as I didn't have any supervision, and the Internet was just a few blocks of text. BBSes were a good source, like the anarchist's cookbook, however they were mostly concerned with explosives and things that a 14 year old had no business making.

The anarchist's cookbook showed me how to make black powder back in the day. You could pick KNO3, sulfur, and charcoal up at every corner store.. those were the days

As long as you aren't rocking a mullet like this kid, I'm okay with teenage chemists

BTW - Looks like he's about to combine copper and red phosphorous :/

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by binaryclock]

papaya - 6-6-2013 at 10:45

Yeah you are right I also like to see smarts kids interested in science, btw. where are you Cou, we didn't want to discourage you, don't give up chemistry/science in general, as I assure you after you got into it a bit everything else will seem boring compared to it, then what will you do?

binaryclock - 6-6-2013 at 11:56

I love Cou's excitement.. More teenagers need that these days instead of just burying themselves in video games. But I think we would be rather irresponsible not to call him out on what he's saying in this forum. The bigger danger is that other kids may feel that this is acceptable behavior as well.

Always respect your parents, #1 rule not only as a kid, but as a human being in general. The chemistry is secondary.

When thinking back to when I'm 14, and now that I'm 35.. This brings a tear to my eye because I wish I treated my parents better as well:

http://joyreactor.com/post/554388

I've never seen something more true.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by binaryclock]

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Eddygp - 6-6-2013 at 12:47

Quote: Originally posted by elementcollector1

Also, never EVER show her a MSDS of any type.

Eddygp - 6-6-2013 at 12:47

Quote: Originally posted by elementcollector1

Also, never EVER show her a MSDS of any type.

I couldn't help laughing at that.
Mine is a bit like: "hey, careful, are you sure that what you are doing is not dangerous? It smells of vinegar..."
Well, synthesizing an acetate usually smells of vinegar anyway.

EDIT: Nearly forgot. Both my parents are neumologists ("lung doctors"), so they make comments like:
"If you knew the amount of people I've seen dying after having inhaled asbestos (or chlorine, or HCl, or..., or...). So yeah.

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by Eddygp]

Cou - 6-6-2013 at 12:59

The problem here is that when I actually do have a dangerous accident, I don't tell my parents because they would ban me from chemistry forever. Like a year ago, before I learned to always use chlorine outside, the cork came off a flask filled with chlorine gas, I immediately was reminded of the town swimming pool (:p) my eyes burned and I ran out of that room... for the next hour until the chlorine went out the windows, my mom couldn't figure out why I kept holding my breath, running in the room to open the windows, running back out and gasping for air.

I know you will say "YOU COULD HAVE KILLED YOURSELF YOU FOOL" but it really wasn't enough to cause pulmonary edema or anything, I didn't even cough. Also, the chlorine came from hydrochloric acid and bleach

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Variscite - 6-6-2013 at 13:10

Talk about throwing caution to the wind, you could have easilly maimed or killed yourself there. Do you reasearch the dangers of your experiments well before you do them? It would be a shame to see you kill yourself because you were being irresponsible with very toxic substances.

Cou - 6-6-2013 at 13:15

But, I've smelled stronger chloramines in the air of the town swimming pool than from that accident

aliced25 - 6-6-2013 at 13:15

My parents were not overly chemophobic until after the first raid by QLD Police, looking under my bed (we lived on a 100 acre property with several sheds) for a drug lab. Even then they were supportive, despite repeated raids, the funniest one was where the dog (a purebred pitbull) was jumping into the laps of police (despite being an illegal breed), where they checked both houses, found various chemicals in my house (nothing illegal) and a bunch of glass (which was confiscated, but not illegal), but ignored the multiple containers of cordite, primers and shell-casings in the other sheds, and didn't even leave the 5 acre house yard (ie. they didn't check the other 95 acres). Even then my parents never became particularly chemophobic, just pissed at QLD Police. :mad:

In the future I intend to teach my kids chemistry and other sciences, simply because they are no longer taught to inquire at School. Hopefully they won't be driven down the path I was by the local Gestapo, but I don't intend to teach them anything illegal or anything even close. I will actually follow the lead of J.Chem.Ed. and the Chemical Educator, get some textbooks, the Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments and go from there. Kids shouldn't be taught that chemistry is wrong. I remember doing some dumb-ass shit, simply through lack of supervision (pouring petrol on styrene - pouring petrol on fires - that doesn't work well BTW).

I would want them to end up like Garage Chemist or maybe Bromic, doing actual experiments in the backyard. If the police want to come and check, let them. At that stage I'll be damn sure I have nothing to hide, or even questionable. I don't do illegal shit anymore, well apart from one synthesis which is possibly questionable, but being done for the right reasons (when the time and budget allow).

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by aliced25]

Cou - 6-6-2013 at 13:27

Quote: Originally posted by aliced25

My parents were not overly chemophobic until after the first raid by QLD Police, looking under my bed (we lived on a 100 acre property with several sheds) for a drug lab. Even then they were supportive, despite repeated raids, the funniest one was where the dog (a purebred pitbull) was jumping into the laps of police (despite being an illegal breed), where they checked both houses, found various chemicals in my house (nothing illegal) and a bunch of glass (which was confiscated, but not illegal), but ignored the multiple containers of cordite, primers and shell-casings in the other sheds, and didn't even leave the 5 acre house yard (ie. they didn't check the other 95 acres). Even then my parents never became particularly chemophobic, just pissed at QLD Police. :mad:

How did the police decide to raid your house? Did you buy a bunch of drain cleaner from a store and they reported you? Did your neighbor see your stuff and call them? Or they looked at your posts on this forum? I'm really paranoid about posting on this forum, I bet some FBI agent is browsing through these threads at this moment and talking to their coworkers

[Edited on 6-6-2013 by Cou]

binaryclock - 6-6-2013 at 16:01

Did you ever get your glassware back? They just took stuff without even finding anything illegal? wtf?

chemcam - 6-6-2013 at 17:00

I have a hard time believing all that, what cop would only search 5% of the property after they found something of interest? I don't know what QLD is but I'm glad I don't live there if this is all true.

Cou, I wouldn't worry about posting online unless you plan on doing something bad. Just follow the law in your area of residence. By saying what you said though is just begging for attention by law people. Being paranoid is what they look for.

DrSchnufflez - 6-6-2013 at 17:49

Chemcam, QLD is a state in aus and ha some of the dodgyiest coppers and toughest laws on chemistry related glassware and reagents.
Aliced25 sorry to hear about your raid, how much glass did you lose?

Fantasma4500 - 7-6-2013 at 04:58

i think this is fitting more in societal issues, despite this i cant agree more, i would even go as far as saying people who are so damn ignorant they yell toxic gasses when you say argon (yes i godfuckingdamn read this on the NEWS IN MY COUNTRY!!!) theyre completely worthless, theyre not even a surface of intelligence
nothing personal but i have the same with my mom, back in time i hid away firecrackers and whatnot for as much as 3-3.5 years until one day something more organized was pushed over my head starting with 2 civil dressed persons ''wanted to talk'' with me

be very very careful on how you step around with this stuff
we live in a world where its completely ok to lean back and agree with the news if they say nitrogen is a nerve agent, not seeming as becoming brighter in the future either

perhaps women are just like that? hysterical? who knows..
if it wasnt because this would have an overhanging danger of her calling the cops on you (if you now happen to have something you arent allowed to have)
i would say you should introduce her to a hydrogen balloon lit in hand with a lighter inside (just a small one)
im saying this because its legal even where i live so check up on it first..

psychologically this should provide a 'peak' or 'shock' effect making ANYTHING ELSE you do not including a huge fireball standing infront of your face in a millisecond make her laugh at how much less dangerous what else you do is..

arguing with her wont be a possibility as you more than usually cant argue a fool wiser
again no offense on anything rather than just advices..
perhaps pull up once in a while that you should perhaps just start doing some hard drugs, if she cares for you that might change her mind abit.. haha

ElizabethGreene - 7-6-2013 at 08:05

It is an instinct for your mother to be protective. I'm sorry to say she'll be like that permanently. It is an evolutionary trait to maximize the survival of offspring. You can't make it go away.

On the other hand when you are young your definition of "perfectly safe" is rather fluid. This is a result of a seat-belts and safety helmets society where serious injury is really rare. Some experiments are dangerous, especially in a kitchen with poor ventilation. My kitchen range hood doesn't even vent outside, it just recirculates the air in the kitchen. Chlorine gas in the house? Not the best idea.

Could you ask your mom to take you to Goodwill for a hotplate and/or toaster oven for your (outside) laboratory? That's a starting point for a compromise.

(Madame Curie's laboratory was a seed starting shed.)

I Like Dots - 7-6-2013 at 09:38

Don't lose interest cou. Im in college right now, and in a club that has access to a well stocked lab. Its mainly used for all kinds of Sputtering, so we have a nice supply of all kinds of gasses,and liquid nitrogen.

Anything that is too dangerous to do in my house I take to the lab. My roommates are all computer science majors and they are fascinated by my experiments I do here (they especially like it when I distill vodka).

So yes it gets better! If anything, tough parents should motivate you to GTFO and get into university a.s.a.p.

binaryclock - 7-6-2013 at 21:36

Quote: Originally posted by Antiswat

i would say you should introduce her to a hydrogen balloon lit in hand with a lighter inside (just a small one)
im saying this because its legal even where i live so check up on it first..

psychologically this should provide a 'peak' or 'shock' effect making ANYTHING ELSE you do not including a huge fireball standing infront of your face in a millisecond make her laugh at how much less dangerous what else you do is..

What? Did you really just give that advice to a 14 year old who's having problems with his parents?

Also chlorine gas in the house is many times worse than a hydrogen ballon.

[Edited on 8-6-2013 by binaryclock]

Finnnicus - 7-6-2013 at 21:53

-On the subject of chemophobia, but not parents.
Yesterday I tried and failed in convincing my art teacher that Fe2O3 is not dangerous and/or a carcinogen. She was throwing out a tub of it (~400g) and tried to stop her, but apparently its too dangerous to have on school property AND she would be arrested if she gave it to me.

What the fuck society.

plante1999 - 8-6-2013 at 00:54

I have problems trying to get books my school library is getting rid of, in large recycling bin, what a waste. Apparantly the school direction don't want us to get the books, and I don't really understand why.

Adas - 8-6-2013 at 02:50

Quote: Originally posted by plante1999

I have problems trying to get books my school library is getting rid of, in large recycling bin, what a waste. Apparantly the school direction don't want us to get the books, and I don't really understand why.

Because they don't want you to be too educated

DubaiAmateurRocketry - 8-6-2013 at 03:27

Hehehe, poor you, my parents never supported me either, I saved all my money in school and stay hungry the whole day so i can lend some money to buy chemicals

If i ever asked them for extra they just wouldnt give me.

phlogiston - 8-6-2013 at 05:06

Quote: Originally posted by Finnnicus

.
Yesterday I tried and failed in convincing my art teacher that Fe2O3 is not dangerous and/or a carcinogen. She was throwing out a tub of it (~400g) and tried to stop her, but apparently its too dangerous to have on school property AND she would be arrested if she gave it to me.

Get your chemistry teacher to talk to her. He should have the authority to convince her of the harmless nature of it and may applaud his students doing some fun chemistry experiments on their own (ofcourse, he will also understand that you may be planning to make thermite with it)

Quote:

They think you should go sit inside behind the TV all day like the other kids, lest you'll become a nerdy misfit.

[Edited on 8-6-2013 by phlogiston]

chemcam - 8-6-2013 at 08:53

Quote: Originally posted by plante1999

I have problems trying to get books library is getting rid of, in large recycling bin, what a waste. Apparantly the school direction don't want us to get the books, and I don't really understand why.

I had the same problem. The reason they gave me was that they don't want any one student to benefit more than another, meaning if they don't have enough books for everyone to have then nobody gets one. I told the lady that isn't really correct because classes fill up and not everyone gets to benefit from the same class... Didn't work.

But the next year they were changing books I made sure not to ask first. My bag was very heavy by the end of the day. I couldn't let good books die.

Hexavalent - 10-6-2013 at 08:50

The science department bought brand new books last year at school, and I was told I could help myself to whatever I wanted, in whatever quantity, and the rest would be recycled.

Sciocrat - 10-6-2013 at 14:59

Luckily my parents are not that chemophobic. Well, they were somewhat, when I just began with my home experiments, but after some time they realized that chemistry (and science in general) is something that I would like to do for a living one day, and eventually accepted it.

learningChem - 10-6-2013 at 20:12

Cou,

Don't listen to people who say that your parents can be as stupid as they want, and can come with any kind of stupid 'rule' because they own the house.

Rationality has nothing to do with ownership of a little plot of land.

aliced25 - 11-6-2013 at 02:50

Quote: Originally posted by binaryclock

Did you ever get your glassware back? They just took stuff without even finding anything illegal? wtf?

Nope. They found fuck-all and took about $10K of glass & computers. As to searching the rest of the property, I found it more amusing than anything else... Piss-weak retards, chemophobic little fucks... After that I sell mantles and 20L flasks to people who have and did use them.

As for what you believe, I didn't believe anyone could be so fucking lazy, or that they'd ignore the box of 7.62 shells and link next to my front gate, the boxes full of primers and various propellant mixtures over in the sheds, or the rest of it. They did however break every lightbulb in the house to see if they had been used as flasks, despite having found 30-50 flasks IN the house.

Now, I smile and laugh whenever they are shot. Sooner or later, they'll run into someone who knows a little chemistry, phosgene, phosphine, nitrogen & sulfur mustards, just to start the show.

DrSchnufflez - 11-6-2013 at 03:06

Wow, I knew that the que police were bad but that bad? It makes me shudder.

phlogiston - 11-6-2013 at 04:29

Quote:

Cou,

Don't listen to people who say that your parents can be as stupid as they want, and can come with any kind of stupid 'rule' because they own the house.

Rationality has nothing to do with ownership of a little plot of land.

If you find out how to cure stupid brain syndrome you'll be rich soon.
Uneducated is something else ofcourse.

Regardless of their IQ or level of education, they do get to say what happens on their property. In fact, in most countries, they can be arrested if they allow illegal activities on their property, so the law even requires them to in that case.

BrominatedSicariidae - 11-6-2013 at 05:59

My parents are also chemophobic; for example when I was younger my first experiment (outside of vinegar and backing soda) was a titration.

"Mom, I'll be doing my titration outside. Do you know where the HCl is?"

"No! I don't want you doing that! If you need an acid just use some vinegar, right? I already dumped the other stuff down the drain."

After a little big of arguing, I realized that the only thing she'd let me use was vinegar so I ended up figuring out the percent by mass of acetic acid in it—since I still wanted to do the experiment with something. While that wasn't terribly bad, I was disappointed in my mom for being so—paranoid about it, which going me thinking.

I think you guys are looking at this problem all wrong;you're looking at this problem from a rational, and logical point of view. I agree that it is part of a parents evolutionary instinct to be protective and that's why it may seem rational; however, that is not always the case.

Instead, we must also realize that because it is instinctual it does not have to be based in rationale; rather, it very well could be based much more on our emotions—fear especially.

To be fearful is quite a rational idea (from a evolutionary stand-point), but that fear can quickly become absurd, crazy, irrational, and stupid.

For example, when I was little, I was extremely arachnophobic; even mentioning the word "spider" would freak me out, and I would go and hide. Then I started to read all about spiders. At first it freaked me out even more, but slowly I became more accustomed and understanding of the order Araneae.

This is how I believe parents are many times with regard to chemicals, and how people are in general with regard to fear.

People are fearful of what they do not understand, and of what they think they understand (or know something about), but really have no clue at all.

Example:

Mom, how would you feel if I made some chloroform for an experiment?

Answer: WHAT NO! THAT STUFF IS WHAT RAPISTS USE! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT MAKING IT!

Mom, how would you feel if I made trichloromethane for an experiment?

Answer: Ummm . . . I . . . well I don't know. I'd be worried.

I asked the same question with different wording and got two completely different responses because chloroform is a more mainstream noun, so many people think they know quite a lot about.

On the other hand, trichloromethane is a much less used noun in most news so the response I got was that she'd be worried simply because she didn't know the chemical in question.

Just my 2 cents. Oh, and hello everyone—sorry for the super long first post.

[Edited on 11-6-2013 by BrominatedSicariidae]

Eddygp - 11-6-2013 at 06:07

Hello Brominated Sicariidae. Not quoting it because of its extension, but I agree with you completely.

papaya - 11-6-2013 at 06:10

Quote: Originally posted by BrominatedSicariidae

On the other hand, trichloromethane is a much less used noun in most news so the response I got was that she'd be worried simply because she didn't know the chemical in question.
[Edited on 11-6-2013 by BrominatedSicariidae]

This! Must be exploited widely, wherever possible.

Tdep - 11-6-2013 at 06:56

You have got to admit that chemistry can be very dangerous. Most of the time it only is so because you're being stupid, but in comparison to watching daytime TV it's a whole new world of risks.

Being sensible will keep you safe but being mature was not something that 8 year old me was very good at, at all really.

Looking back now I realise that I did the next best possible thing you can do if the people around don't think you're ready for chemistry - I got into mineralogy and geology. Even the most chemphobic of people are not going to hate on you for having a beautiful mineral collection - especially if you preach some of that shit about the 'special powers' of each stone.

As long as you don't start reciting their chem formulas too much (iron disulfide? I believe you mean Fool's Gold?) no-one will bat an eyelid.

Like my lump of natural asbestos. People worry when I say that word but then I tell them it came from the ground and they're ok.
'Don't worry, it's natural non of those man made chemical toxic shit.'

phlogiston - 11-6-2013 at 07:40

BrominatedSicariidae +1

You can maximally exploit this by picking alternative names that sound benign.

Instead of chloroform you might say:
'how would you feel if I made a batch of Guthrie's sweet whiskey'?

The 'chloro' part sounds especially nasty.
My mother-in-law is a dietician and she told me that patients say they worry about their 'chloresterol' levels. It does sound worse than cholesterol, doesn't it?.

[Edited on 11-6-2013 by phlogiston]

Finnnicus - 11-6-2013 at 08:03

Unrelated, but it had to go somewhere.

I gave "Guthrie's sweet whiskey" a google and my feelings are mixed. Do I feel sad? Or should I? Why? Why?I feel as if... I don't know. Try it for yourself here.

Please, go back to your chemophobic parent stories.

[Edited on 11-6-2013 by Finnnicus]

bfesser - 11-6-2013 at 18:27

Quote: Originally posted by Tdep

Looking back now I realise that I did the next best possible thing you can do if the people around don't think you're ready for chemistry - I got into mineralogy and geology. Even the most chemphobic of people are not going to hate on you for having a beautiful mineral collection - especially if you preach some of that shit about the 'special powers' of each stone.

As long as you don't start reciting their chem formulas too much (iron disulfide? I believe you mean Fool's Gold?) no-one will bat an eyelid.

Like my lump of natural asbestos. People worry when I say that word but then I tell them it came from the ground and they're ok.
'Don't worry, it's natural non of those man made chemical toxic shit.'

Three things.
<ol type="I"><li>Don't advocate spreading more of that hippie 'crystals have healing powers' nonsense. We're already surrounded by enough ignorance.</li>
<li>I dislike the use of "iron disulfide"—granted the IUPAC name, bis(sulfanylidene)iron, is just ridiculous. If nothing else, at least specify iron(II) disulfide.</li>
<li>Specify the exact asbestos mineral. For example, I tell people that my specimen is chrysotile. It sounds almost floral, so people don't freak out.</li></ol>
Then I hold it out to them and say "Scratch & Sniff"...

Tdep - 12-6-2013 at 00:46

You make some valid points there, and I must say the whole 'powers' thing is completely and utterly rediculous but sometimes that is the only thing you can say when people are at a loss of logic and science. Sad I know.

I believe I have actinolite and chrysotile...
I know this is completly off topic now but here they are, more worried about one in particular, not sure scratch and sniff is the correct cause of action haha

mayko - 12-6-2013 at 10:06

Minerals are a good suggestion; there is also a lot of chemistry behind food. Red cabbage is a pH indicator; there are lots of salts to crystallize; you can extract gluten from flour, or precipitate protein from milk. These have the added advantage that they involve reagents which your parents know to be benign, even tasty. And it can give you a foothold in reversing some of that chemophobia; the next time they're cooking eggs, mention that they're seeing hydrogen bonds break before their eyes.

Just be sure to keep a notebook and keep the kitchen clean.

Come to think of it, you might even sweeten the deal for them by offering to take on extra dishes or something in exchange.

DraconicAcid - 12-6-2013 at 10:12

Quote: Originally posted by Finnnicus

Unrelated, but it had to go somewhere.

I gave "Guthrie's sweet whiskey" a google and my feelings are mixed. Do I feel sad? Or should I? Why? Why?I feel as if... I don't know. Try it for yourself here.

Please, go back to your chemophobic parent stories.

[Edited on 11-6-2013 by Finnnicus]

The first link that comes up there is from a creationist site that says, "Chloroform was introduced by Dr. Samuel Guthrie who first made Chloroform by mixing drinking-alcohol with lime juice."

That makes me feel sad. Pass me the whiskey- sweet or otherwise.

Hockeydemon - 19-6-2013 at 04:33

I'm grateful that I never had your parents jeez. I was allowed to blossom into whatever I wanted as long as I could support my decisions with rational. My step-mom who is an uneducated theist (albeit kind hearted) gave up on trying to out argue/wit me when I was 9 or 10. My dad is a rational person that would mediate our arguments.

If I wanted to do something, and I could support the reason why with logic & facts then they would STFU because I was right. They've lost enough arguments (though I guess I'm an adult now) to really never question anything I'm doing anymore. I've always had freedom to do whatever I please as long as I was respectful, and responsible.

I remember back when I was 18, and living at home and I had just started smoking pot. It was not allowed that I smoke pot in doors at all (they hated everything about it). I wrote up and explanation for the chemical reason why cigarette smoke lingers, and is damaging to the house vs marijuana smoke. I also wrote up a proposal for how I would negatively pressurize the room, and take the proper precautions to ensure they would never know I was smoking indoors. I won the argument.

Same went for science. I just randomly dropped a few hundred on science equipment one day, and set it up in the basement with no warning. They came down stairs and said "Is this a fucking meth lab?!" to which I responded "Don't be ignorant". End of discussion - never heard another word about it until my respirator came in the mail. But I simply explained that was for outdoors, and my personal safety. My dad actually ended up being quite curious about the various things I was doing.

I'm a very passive aggressive, resourceful, & rebellious person however. If I was in the OP's position the mom would hate my guts, I would go out of my way to disobey, and probably just stop talking to her/move out. Granted if I was raised by the OP's mom I would be a different person, but at that age with who I was absolutely. My high school HATED me - not that I was a bad student, or got bad grades. I just challenged authority at every turn - I still do, but have a much better handle on it.

DORI - 20-6-2013 at 06:28

Not my parents, but my wife...I tried to make copper acetate using stock white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (6%). It was too slow, so I got 99.9% acetic acid and 33% Hydrogen peroxide. Stupid, I know that now - but back then I didn't. So anyway, I mixed (very) small amounts, and put in my copper scrap. Everything looked OK, started fizzing slowly, and the all hell broke loose, the glass jar turned into a geyser, blowing fumes and turquoise liquid all over the floor. I had to run to the grocery store at the corner and get a s%$t load of carbon dioxide, spread it all over the blue stuff, just to get a 2 inch thick foam that covered the floor...lots of mopping, lots of water, opening all the windows and getting a ventilator to push the fumes out, took me like 2 hrs. Then my wife got home and asked what was that funny vinegar smell, so I said I cooked something. Never tried it again!

plante1999 - 20-6-2013 at 06:36

Peracetic acid intermediate was probably formed, I guess it was a real mess, better to do stuff like this outside, especially with oxidizers like hydrogen peroxide.

Nitro-esteban - 20-6-2013 at 13:48

Good thing my parents barley care about all the reagents and explosives i have. They never ask about anything unless they can smell it.

chemcam - 20-6-2013 at 19:30

Quote: Originally posted by Nitro-esteban

Good thing my parents barley care about all the reagents and explosives i have.

Let me guess... 5kg of TATP? Improperly neutralized and stored in a sealed iron container on top of a nightstand with a wobbly leg, right next to your bed?

Sounds k3wl.

elementcollector1 - 20-6-2013 at 21:04

Quote: Originally posted by chemcam

Quote: Originally posted by Nitro-esteban

Good thing my parents barley care about all the reagents and explosives i have.

Let me guess... 5kg of TATP? Improperly neutralized and stored in a sealed iron container on top of a nightstand with a wobbly leg, right next to your bed?

Sounds k3wl.

Don't forget the loaded pistol next to it.
My parents don't really care if I'm handling the basic stuff, but they require my dad to watch if I'm handling truly deadly stuff (bromine, thermite, etc.). Personally, I think he watches out of part fascination, part horror, and part parental protection.

InertGas - 21-6-2013 at 04:09

Quote: Originally posted by elementcollector1

...My parents don't really care if I'm handling the basic stuff, but they require my dad to watch if I'm handling truly deadly stuff (bromine, thermite, etc.). Personally, I think he watches out of part fascination, part horror, and part parental protection.

But unless your parents are chemists (amateur or pro), how do they know what's "truly deadly"?

For that matter, how do they know when you're doing even the "basic stuff"?

What you say suggests that there's a good level of communication, honesty and mutual respect between you and your parents. I think that's great and (as a parent) I hope you understand how fortunate you are to have parents like that. Similarly, I hope your mother and father appreciate how fortunate they are to have a son with an enquiring mind who is willing to talk to them about what he's doing.

Unfortunately, it appears that mutual respect, good communication skills and gratitude are all lacking in the OP's relationship with his parents.

[Edited on 21-6-2013 by InertGas]

amazingchemistry - 21-6-2013 at 14:28

While I applaud Cou's fascination with chemistry, I have to join previous posters in saying that his disregard for safety doesn't do him any favors, to say the least. Chemistry is much more than just throwing things together. True, it may start out that way but it doesn't become true science until careful planning and observation are involved. Here's my two cents: If you want to keep doing chemistry until your 70s, and not stop 'rather abruptly' before your 20s, and if you don't want to have your mother yell at you that you're going to kill yourself, please, PLEASE, stop performing reactions as if you have a deathwish. Mixing hydrochloric acid and bleach without proper ventilation or working with lead without proper protection is just stupid. If you start being less kewlish and more scientific (researching safety hazards of reactants and expected products BEFORE performing a reaction, having contingency plans, informing yourself as to the theory of the reaction, including expected enthalpies and such) you will greatly reduce the inherent risk of doing chemistry, and hopefully, leave your parents feeling a bit more reassured.

Random - 12-7-2013 at 04:59

Quote: Originally posted by bfesser

<li>Specify the exact asbestos mineral. For example, I tell people that my specimen is chrysotile. It sounds almost floral, so people don't freak out.</li></ol>
Then I hold it out to them and say "Scratch & Sniff"...

[Edited on 12-7-2013 by Random]

bfesser - 12-7-2013 at 08:55

<strong>Random</strong>, would you mind keeping that stuff on 4chan, reddit, or some other mouth-breather website?

Manifest - 13-7-2013 at 04:13

Oh come on, we can't have an odd joke, or reaction picture?

Finnnicus - 13-7-2013 at 05:18

Hopefully 'the odd joke' isn't as obvious and unneeded as "I see what you did there" but maybe thats just me...

Manifest - 13-7-2013 at 06:06

Hopefully not, maybe that's something Random can work on.

subsecret - 13-7-2013 at 12:36

My parents aren't very chemophobic. My mom doesn't care what I do, but she does ask what I plan to do with the chemicals I buy. She's generally pretty interested in my lab work, especially when I use things like gas generators that look more complex than they really are. My dad generally doesn't ask what I do, he just wants me to avoid dangerous things such as explosives (and I obey).

DraconicAcid - 26-8-2013 at 07:44

My father-in-law, on the other hand, won't let me wash bowls or glasses using detergent, as he's afraid that "chemicals" might stick to the glass....

Cou - 27-8-2013 at 17:10

It's been a while, now that I moved all the stuff outside my parents aren't chemophobic anymore.

Plutonium239 - 2-9-2013 at 10:55

My mom found out that I inhaled a small amount of chlorine gas and said "that's some serious ****"! I also told her that methylphosphonyl difluoride is a Schedule I substance and she thought that meant it was a drug.

sonogashira - 3-9-2013 at 01:28

The most chemophobic people that I have ever-met have worked at university chemistry departments! Having to fill-in numerous forms, signed and dated, filled with the new Europen-standard health-risk codes, approved by a supervisor, hard-copied, filed, indexed, periodically-reviewed and updated according to the new COSHH guidelines. Then you are allowed to use methanol as your solvent! -- so-long as you keep it in the fume-cupboard, and have less than 250 ml out at any one-time, in a clearly-labeled ISO-approved flask!

[Edited on 3-9-2013 by sonogashira]

blogfast25 - 3-9-2013 at 06:27

Yes, methanol is one of those they reserve special ire for. At uni we ended up ignoring the whole thing and rectifying technical MeOH to UV grade with a 10 m high pilot plant fractionation column anyway, by the gallon! Determined as we were, they ended up turning a blind eye. If it was up to the safety boffins the only thing that would ever have seen the inside of that piece of equipment would have been... water! ('Caution! Hot water is hot!')

It's all part of our litigation rich culture of course: great for liars... I mean 'lawyers'.. not so good for anything else.

[Edited on 3-9-2013 by blogfast25]

bismuthate - 28-9-2013 at 05:28

my parents are fine with most chemicals but they won't let me use heat! i'm not even allowed to use my alchohol lamp or the stove.

confused - 28-9-2013 at 07:32

you might want to consider getting a hotplate to heat your reactions

bismuthate - 30-9-2013 at 11:36

i am trying to get one. Of course I use my alcohol lamp when i absolutly need heat.

Eddygp - 30-9-2013 at 12:42

Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25

Determined as we were, they ended up turning a blind eye.
[Edited on 3-9-2013 by blogfast25]

HAHAHA turning a blind eye with MeOH hahahahaha you made me fall off the chair!
You did it on purpose didn't you?
LOL

Random - 22-10-2013 at 13:47

Blogfast, they will probably die of dihydrogen monoxide sooner or later anyway.

Everyone did.

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