XenosSkylark - 20-10-2016 at 03:18
Hey. I was just wondering something; I'm like a 14-year-old student in one of the universities in Malaysia, and I was wondering on what reactions
should I try out first to get started into this sort of chemistry field. I don't have access to much chemicals, but I'll see what I can or cannot get.
crystal grower - 20-10-2016 at 06:15
Hello XenosSkylark, welcome to Sciencemadness forum.
Firstly, what exactly do you mean by "this sort of chemistry field"?
If you meant amateur/garage chemistry, it depends on your education and available equipment/chemicals of course. I would recomend you starting with
simple reactions/experiments like decomposition of H2O2 with a catalyst (MnO2) --> oxygen generator, or dehydratation of sucrose (sugar) by H2SO4,
simple crystalizations of salts like CuSO4, MgSO4, Copper acetate, NaCl(preferably with some FeCl3 if you want cube crystals) etc. Hot ice
(crystalization of oversaturated sodium acetate) is also very interesting experiment.
However It's hard to advise if I don't know what chemicals do you have/ are available to you.
Anyway, if you decide to do some experiment, remeber that safety is the most important thing.
[Edited on 20-10-2016 by crystal grower]
aga - 20-10-2016 at 07:42
A simple reaction to perform is vinegar + bicarbonate of soda to make sodium acetate.
Doesn't get hot and fizzes a lot.
Mix 10g of sodium bicarbonate with 215g of 5% vinegar (or 358g if it is 3%) by adding 1 spoon to the vinegar at a time (it might fizz over otherwise).
Wait for the fizzing to stop between additions.
Boil down the liquid until you see white solids on the surface, then let it cool down and white solid crystals will form.
Edit:
You'd get a max of 9.7g of DRY crystals (if you dried them in an oven) but they will be contaminated by the stuff in the vinegar, so might not be pure
white
The next step would be to Re-crystallise them at least once to get a purer product.
There's a whole pile of chemistry right there in the reaction of two household items.
i.e. :-
Stoichimetry gave those specific weights to use, and the expected max amount of product.
Recrystallisation is a favourite method to increase purity.
Experience of an actual reaction, and realising that it CAN fizz over !
[Edited on 20-10-2016 by aga]
NitratedKittens - 28-11-2016 at 05:17
One of my favorite household reactions is flaming jelly from eggshells and vinegar.
First, react crushed eggshells with vinegar, then filter of the liquid.
heat liquid until crystals start to form, then put it in fridge to chill then filter off the calcium acetate.
Dissolve some calcium acetate in water until it becomes slightly cloundy, then acquire some rubbing alcohol. slowly add the calcium acetate solution
to some rubbing alcohol while stirring until the alcohol becomes jelly. I think adding too much solution will de-jellify the alcohol. Anyways you are
left with a flammable jelly that burns with a clear flame and is hard to put out.
Do not touch the jelly after ignition as there may be flames that you cannot see.
Always be safe and do not light the jelly indoors.
WARNING! Rubbing alcohol is highly flammable, keep away from sources of accidental ignition
Always wear safety goggles as your eyes are extremely delicate.
Amos - 28-11-2016 at 14:25
If you like viewing different colors and are interested in inorganic chemistry, start with copper! This will require one of two things:
a) the availability of a copper salt on store shelves or somewhere you can order it. Copper(II) sulfate is the most common, being sold as a plumbing
chemical that kills plant roots here in the U.S. PCB etchant may contain copper(II) chloride in solution.
b) the availability of an acid of decent concentration (usually sulfuric or hydrochloric) as well as hydrogen peroxide. With an acid and H2O2, you can
prepare copper salts directly from the metal.
This was how I got my start in chemistry and even at a beginner level there are lots of different salts and complexes you can prepare. Along the way
you get to learn acid-base chemistry, oxidation-reduction, and some general lab know-how. Iron and chromium are also fairly accessible but a little
more difficult to work with.