Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Bringing regulated chemicals through customs?

Deo - 6-12-2025 at 00:58

Going on a trip to China this winter and I'm planning on picking up a lot of organic reagents due to how cheap and available they are there. Has anyone here ever had experience with bringing regulated (List I, II) chemicals through U.S. customs? I'm pondering on whether bottle of benzaldehyde is a good idea or not.

Deathunter88 - 6-12-2025 at 07:12

Getting these things in China are not as simple as it seems from the outside - although these reagents appear cheaply on sites like Aliexpress, the reality is that it is very difficult to actually aquire inside China due to the very strict anti-drug and anti-terroism laws. It's not like India where they are selling chemicals at any pharmacy or shop on the side of the street.

I have a friend go to jail because he purchased 1L of gasoline without a license from a gas station. You need to show 2 types of government issued ID to buy rubbing alcohol at the pharmacy, cannot purchase more than 100ml at a time, and the concentration cannot exceed 75%.

To get anything you can't get in the US would require you to at a minimum be fluent in Chinese or have a friend there who is, and the know how to navigate private sales with reagent sellers who sometimes are willing to sneak out something to make a bit of money on the side. Not really something you can do on a touist trip.

Trust me, I lived there for 10 years and had a home lab going, but I am so much happier to be doing amateur chemistry in the USA now. Just enjoy your trip and the people and culture.

Oh yeah and you can't bring anything flammable or toxic through airport security anyways.

Deo - 6-12-2025 at 09:55

I’ve actually purchased things in china before. This isn’t my first time and we do have an apartment in china too (I’m Chinese). I have and have bought things from taobao before, though only glassware. I have actually brought 2.5L of 80% acetic acid through security last time. I know how it works generally and haven’t had any issues.

pesco - 7-12-2025 at 10:04

Quote: Originally posted by Deathunter88  


I have a friend go to jail because he purchased 1L of gasoline without a license from a gas station. You need to show 2 types of government issued ID to buy rubbing alcohol at the pharmacy, cannot purchase more than 100ml at a time, and the concentration cannot exceed 75%.



Have the officials announced the date when they are introducing licensing for NaCl and C12H22O11 ? :o

They are dangerous. One can sneak in half a glass of NaCl into the soup and the victim will have 50% chance of survival ...

The C12H22O11 can promote criminal acts, like theft, by making the fingers sticky ...

Varungh - 6-2-2026 at 07:45

Quote: Originally posted by pesco  
Quote: Originally posted by Deathunter88  


I have a friend go to jail because he purchased 1L of gasoline without a license from a gas station. You need to show 2 types of government issued ID to buy rubbing alcohol at the pharmacy, cannot purchase more than 100ml at a time, and the concentration cannot exceed 75%.



Have the officials announced the date when they are introducing licensing for NaCl and C12H22O11 ? :o

They are dangerous. One can sneak in half a glass of NaCl into the soup and the victim will have 50% chance of survival ...

The C12H22O11 can promote criminal acts, like theft, by making the fingers sticky ...


Exactly! It is the athorities jobs to regulate H2O and O2
H2O can be poisonous in excess. It can cause you to drown. O2 can set you on fire

Metacelsus - 6-2-2026 at 07:56

Don't take the risk of bringing it with you, ship it separately in a package.