Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Good general reagents

Skrinkle - 18-6-2008 at 13:44

Hi, I'm in the process of setting up my lab and i was just wondering if any of you have some suggestions as to what reagents i should acquire starting out.
thanks

Klute - 18-6-2008 at 13:58

N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and Dimethylaminopyridine are a good start .:D Just joking..

Are you more interested in organic or inorganic chemsitry?

General acides and bases (HCl, H2SO4, NaOH, K2CO3, NH4OH) and solvents (acetone, IPA, toluene, etc) are someof the most basics reagents in both domains. You could already start having fun with them.

Of course, it also depends on your chemistry skills; if you are new at chemistry, don't head off to a LiAlH4 reduction...

Jor - 18-6-2008 at 14:22

Yes, the question is: what do you want to focus on?

I think these chemicals add a lot in an inorganic homelab:

Acids:
-nitric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. acetic acid also comes at handy.

Bases:
-ammonia and sodium hydroxide

Solvents:
-ethanol, acetone, diethyl ether

Get some H2O2 as well.

Most of the time these are 'helper' chemicals, wich make it possible for you to perform a certain experiments. You also need 'building blocks' as I call it.
Get some metal salts like CuSO4 (!), CoSO4, NiSO4, Cu, FeCl3x6H2O, KI, KBr, KBrO3, KMnO4, etc.

If doing pyro, get some metal powders, sulfur, and oxidisers like KClO4.

If doing organic, there is a lot you can do.
Im gonna start some organic, and I will be buying some alcohols and such, to make esters.

Skrinkle - 18-6-2008 at 18:14

First of all, thank you for the speedy and helpful replies. I think I'm leaning toward inorganic chemistry but hydrocarbon fuels also appeal to me. As soon as I get my lab fully set up I'll just have to find what interests me in particular. I expect to be all set by the end of the month.
thanks again,
Skrinkle

woelen - 18-6-2008 at 23:17

I have written a webpage for setting up a home lab. This page is geared towards (starting/beginning) inorganic chemistry.

http://woelen.homescience.net/science/chem/misc/homelab.html

<!-- bfesser_edit_tag -->[<a href="u2u.php?action=send&username=bfesser">bfesser</a>: fixed external link(s)]

[Edited on 7.1.14 by bfesser]

YT2095 - 18-6-2008 at 23:35

I don`t think a Lab is complete without some Indicators either, solutions of Barium chloride, Silver nitrate, Phenolphthalein, and some universal test papers (usually have a 1-11pH range) etc...

Skrinkle - 19-6-2008 at 17:06

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it.

P.S.
The link you provided isn't working for me. Could it be broken?

[Edited on 19-6-2008 by Skrinkle]

Formatik - 19-6-2008 at 22:12

H2SO4, KNO3, HCl, NH3 aq., CuSO4, KClO3, HNO3, KMnO4, NaBr, I2, H2O2, NaOH, acetone, ethanol, glycerin. Further: Ag, Zn, Al, Cu, MnO2, ether (this one is most dangerous).

[Edited on 19-6-2008 by Schockwave]

undead_alchemist - 20-6-2008 at 02:14

Quote:
Originally posted by Schockwave
H2SO4, KNO3, HCl, NH3 aq., CuSO4, KClO3, HNO3, KMnO4, NaBr, I2, H2O2, NaOH, acetone, ethanol, glycerin. Further: Ag, Zn, Al, Cu, MnO2, ether (this one is most dangerous).

[Edited on 19-6-2008 by Schockwave]


Ether is not so bad, there are many things far more dangerous then ether.

woelen - 20-6-2008 at 04:48

Hmmm.. we have had a power failure, and my website did not come up when power was available again :(.

I hope I can fix this within a few hours.

Skrinkle - 20-6-2008 at 19:02

I was wondering if maybe it was my slow connection. I am sorry to hear your website is having problems. :(
I understand that ether has a tendency to form nasty peroxides. Would it be best to keep it in a bottle without a screw cap to prevent unfortunate mishaps? I don't think I'm quite ready for anything involving Dimethylaminopyridine just yet. :o

pantone159 - 21-6-2008 at 19:32

Sodium metabisulfite and sodium thiosulfate are both useful reducing agents, and come in handy for a lot of things (including cleaning stains and disposal of halogens etc.)

Formatik - 22-6-2008 at 09:29

Quote:
Originally posted by Skrinkle
I was wondering if maybe it was my slow connection. I am sorry to hear your website is having problems. :(
I understand that ether has a tendency to form nasty peroxides.


Right. If it's let sit long enough or just exposed to enough air (e.g. air currents), it gets real nasty forming the contact sensitive polyethylidene peroxides. If you see solids in ether, don't unscrew the cap and try to neutralize the peroxides!
Quote:
Would it be best to keep it in a bottle without a screw cap to prevent unfortunate mishaps?


Commercially available anhydrous ether comes in a glass bottle with a plastic screw cap. The best place for storage is out of light, in a cool area, and then tape the cap of the ether to limit the air. All of those precautions will limit peroxide formation, but it's still a risk with ether that one takes.

I think the peroxides are quite insoluble (or difficult solubility) in ether, which is why they precipitate. Though these peroxides I've noticed are highly volatile and evaporate real easily, and so can volatilize to the top of the container. Using an all glass bottle and stopper, one might be able to much better see any formations. But if this is not tight enough, all of the ether will just evaporate away.