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Author: Subject: In-demand reagents
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[*] posted on 9-9-2025 at 07:04


Quote: Originally posted by clearly_not_atara  

E.g. 1,1'-oxalyldiimidazole, the rxn product of oxalyl chloride and imidazole. Very effective carboxylic acid activation reagent with none of the volatility of oxalyl chloride.


Apparently cyanuric chloride (a solid) does the same and is widely available. I have some, just didn't have time to test this reaction.
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chempyre235
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[*] posted on 9-9-2025 at 09:52


Quote: Originally posted by clearly_not_atara  
I think it might be interesting to sell things which are more stable, higher priced replacements for cheap, hazardous reagents. In principle, you could buy the cheap reagent and upgrade it yourself in a step or two, then get a significant profit margin.


I second this. I'd also add tetrakis(pyridine) silver(II) peroxydisulfate and PDC as oxidizing reagents which are relatively straightforward to make. NBS and related derivatives would also be useful.




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Sulaiman
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[*] posted on 9-9-2025 at 22:13
elemental mercury


i have no difficulty buying it but I have seen many members require it.
eg https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=16...

EDIT: This is a BAD idea because it may result in mercury being transported by air,
NOT A GOOD IDEA.

[Edited on 10-9-2025 by Sulaiman]




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chempyre235
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[*] posted on 10-9-2025 at 05:33


Quote: Originally posted by Sulaiman  
i have no difficulty buying it but I have seen many members require it.
eg https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=16...

EDIT: This is a BAD idea because it may result in mercury being transported by air,
NOT A GOOD IDEA.

[Edited on 10-9-2025 by Sulaiman]

@Sulaiman: I'm not sure how it works in the UK, but in the US, you can have freight shipped by ground. You still can't ship mercury or its compounds through USPS, but other services will ship it.

@BenJ: You may peruse the "Reagents and Apparatus Acquisition" portion of the forum for ideas for what you should stock. Several reagents that appear often (mostly mineral acids) are likely to always be in demand. Various solvents, oxidizers (such as ones I mentioned previously), and reducing agents will always be crucial for any kind of chemist, and several of these are useful outside of chemistry, too.




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"I weep at the sight of flaming acetic anhydride." -@Madscientist

"...the elements shall melt with fervent heat..." -2 Peter 3:10
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[*] posted on 10-9-2025 at 06:20


Quote: Originally posted by teodor  
Well, I buy chemicals every month. For quite immodest amount of money. There are more people here who do. I would prefer to buy some bulk quantities for good price and stock things because it is not demand, it is availability which is unstable. I understand that any single seller who sells me chemicals thinks that my demand is unstable but it is not so. The reason he can think that it is because the limited selection of chemicals (for a good price) in any single seller I know. So, having 4 basic requirements for the shop I wrote before + additional benefit of constant buyer (like having discount buying some amount per month) I don't see why this business could not be started as a hobby if there is possibility to sell chemicals.

P.S. I remember you question about aniline, BenJ. At least 1L. But till the end of the month I plan to compose a list of more organics, so then we probably will be able to talk about that.

P.P.S. I would say I am at least on 30-35% is occasion buyer. So, if you have something on a good price you can always inform me. This could be the case when somebody asks a small quantity of something, you need to buy some bulk quantity to have a good difference. In this case you can tell to you "occasion buyers" that some chemical could be available (in the original bottle) and there is a chance you can find somebody who will buy the rest. This is a way how you can start.

By the way, I need some bulk amount of silver nitrate. The local price is something around 150 EUR per 100g but I need few times more. So I have a plan to buy a silver and make it. This is the example - if you can propose something which will save my time and I will ready to invest in it.

[Edited on 9-9-2025 by teodor]



Sure thing. Let me know about the aniline/other organics.

If I come across a good bargain I’ll be sure to let you know!
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[*] posted on 10-9-2025 at 06:23


Quote: Originally posted by clearly_not_atara  
I think it might be interesting to sell things which are more stable, higher priced replacements for cheap, hazardous reagents. In principle, you could buy the cheap reagent and upgrade it yourself in a step or two, then get a significant profit margin.

E.g. 1,1'-oxalyldiimidazole, the rxn product of oxalyl chloride and imidazole. Very effective carboxylic acid activation reagent with none of the volatility of oxalyl chloride.

Another possibility is Ms2O, which activates alcohols with no volatile hydrolysis byproduct (contrast TsCl or PBr3). MsOH is dehydrated by P2O5 or even, IIRC, Ac2O (by Le Chatelier removing AcOH).

TsNHNH2, KOtBu, Bu4NBr (not really a replacement), probably some others I'm not thinking of.


That’s a very good idea, thanks. I have some MsOH so will look into selling Ms2O
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[*] posted on 10-9-2025 at 06:28


Quote: Originally posted by chempyre235  
Quote: Originally posted by Sulaiman  
i have no difficulty buying it but I have seen many members require it.
eg https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=16...

EDIT: This is a BAD idea because it may result in mercury being transported by air,
NOT A GOOD IDEA.

[Edited on 10-9-2025 by Sulaiman]

@Sulaiman: I'm not sure how it works in the UK, but in the US, you can have freight shipped by ground. You still can't ship mercury or its compounds through USPS, but other services will ship it.

@BenJ: You may peruse the "Reagents and Apparatus Acquisition" portion of the forum for ideas for what you should stock. Several reagents that appear often (mostly mineral acids) are likely to always be in demand. Various solvents, oxidizers (such as ones I mentioned previously), and reducing agents will always be crucial for any kind of chemist, and several of these are useful outside of chemistry, too.


The mercury problem could be solved by ADR shipping, expensive though!

I will be sure to have a scroll through the section of the forum. I am starting to get a good idea of things that would be worthwhile to sell! Thank you all!
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[*] posted on 11-9-2025 at 00:12


Quote: Originally posted by teodor  
.By the way, I need some bulk amount of silver nitrate. ]
a silver maple coin is 99.99% silver,
dissolve in nitric acid, crystalise.
much cheaper than buying silver nitrate.

I used a 99.9% silver eagle,
it took two recrystallisations to remove the green tint,
but the product appears to be stable vs daylight.




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[*] posted on 11-9-2025 at 06:52


150 euros per 100 gram of AgNO3 is quite a good price. Spot price of silver nowadays is well over EUR 1100 per kg. Bying 99.99% pure silver adds at least 10% to the spot price. If you add the cost of nitric acid for dissolving the silver (if you can get it anyway, if you are in the EU), and all the effort for making it pure and free of acid, then I think that 150 euros per 100 gram is not bad at all. If you need to make the nitric acid yourself from nitrate salts and another acid, then buying the AgNO3 for 150 euros per 100 gram becomes even more attractive.

[Edited on 11-9-25 by woelen]




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[*] posted on 11-9-2025 at 09:08


Quote: Originally posted by woelen  
150 euros per 100 gram of AgNO3 is quite a good price. Spot price of silver nowadays is well over EUR 1100 per kg. Bying 99.99% pure silver adds at least 10% to the spot price. If you add the cost of nitric acid for dissolving the silver (if you can get it anyway, if you are in the EU), and all the effort for making it pure and free of acid, then I think that 150 euros per 100 gram is not bad at all. If you need to make the nitric acid yourself from nitrate salts and another acid, then buying the AgNO3 for 150 euros per 100 gram becomes even more attractive.

[Edited on 11-9-25 by woelen]


I will definitely think about your words. I plan to do some PH3 experiments. I mean I need a good scrubber for the reaction product. AgNO3 works very well according to the literature. I assume I will recycle silver in any case. And yes, nitric acid will come from nitrate. It is just planning, not actual experiments yet.
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