Sciencemadness Discussion Board - So what have you been doing?

What chemistry-related things have you been doing that you don't think are worthy of starting threads?

Yesterday I started a barbecue using shredded documents and potassium nitrate which I was VERY lucky to find. I ended up using too much potassium nitrate and created a giant pillar of smoke that rose far above our house.

Also, when I get into university (in one week!) I plan on joining the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates. I'm especially interested in doing outreach in public schools.

Does this seems familiar to you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRtaPlEcEUU&list=UUIgKGG...

PS: I've been making some anhydrous copper (ii) chloride

[Edited on 27-9-2014 by xfusion44]

Texium - 27-9-2014 at 06:20

I have not been doing much chemistry lately. I've had a lot of homework (mostly physics), and I have a nasty cold.

Once I get feeling better, I'm planning on building a nice lab bench for myself. I have almost everything that I need. Right now I use my dad's workbench, but it always gets cluttered and dirty and I can never keep my stuff there for very long. Having my own space would be a tremendous improvement.

Brain&Force - 27-9-2014 at 16:58

Ah, sorry to hear about that. 'Tis the season to be sick (and speaking of which, I should probably get a flu shot).

I have a chemistry dept. orientation at my university on Tuesday and classes start on Thursday...oh boy. Taking Organic Chem; I hope I can move up to honors level in that course, but I know next to nothing about organic chemistry.

And lab space...something I gotta find, and fast. The itch is killing me!

Amos - 27-9-2014 at 17:16

Ah, sorry to hear about that. 'Tis the season to be sick (and speaking of which, I should probably get a flu shot).

I have a chemistry dept. orientation at my university on Tuesday and classes start on Thursday...oh boy. Taking Organic Chem; I hope I can move up to honors level in that course, but I know next to nothing about organic chemistry.

And lab space...something I gotta find, and fast. The itch is killing me!

I'm guessing you tested out of the prerequisites for organic chem? If so, make you you know resonance structures and hybridization. That's what they hit me hard with at the beginning of my Organic class, anyway.

And an update on what I'm currently up to; I'm trying my hand at making nearly pure methyl salicylate through a lot of DIY stuff. My lab smells absolutely wonderful right now.

Brain&Force - 28-9-2014 at 09:12

Pssssh...I already covered that in AP Chem! But I think I need to look at hybridization again. I could be taking honors chem in the lower division but I don't want to do that.

subsecret - 28-9-2014 at 13:19

I've been working on isolating vanillin from artificial vanilla extract. I did an extraction with 4 x 20 mL ethyl acetate and 150 mL of extract, and I then added the EtOAc to water and heated it up, removing the EtOAc. This allows easy recrystallization of the vanillin.

arkoma - 28-9-2014 at 16:35

pissing in the wind...started with 2.7gm salicylic acid. Total Phenol xtals at end? couple hundred milligrams.. Was fun though---mm not right word--but neither is exciting. You guys know the feeling

elementcollector1 - 28-9-2014 at 16:44

Been working in an undergraduate research lab on polyurethane properties. Kind of fun, really, although I don't know much about polymer science.

UnintentionalChaos - 28-9-2014 at 16:54

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

pissing in the wind...started with 2.7gm salicylic acid. Total Phenol xtals at end? couple hundred milligrams.. Was fun though---mm not right word--but neither is exciting. You guys know the feeling

Dat mechanical loss...

Any reason to not just go a bottle of extra strength uncoated aspirin tabs for $5 and work the entire thing up into phenol?

Bezaleel - 29-9-2014 at 09:35

What chemistry-related things have you been doing that you don't think are worthy of starting threads?

I dried a solution of nickel hydroxide in nitric acid in a vacuum dessiccator over NaOH prills. The initially formed green crystals had completely withered after one day.

The Volatile Chemist - 29-9-2014 at 10:16

Salt water analysis. Just for fun. Since I'm on vacation at the moment, itching to get back and test a sample

Metacelsus - 29-9-2014 at 12:45

I've been working on building an electric furnace.

The Volatile Chemist - 30-9-2014 at 15:36

Really Cheddite?
Have any pics/schemas/descriptions of how your doing it?

Metacelsus - 30-9-2014 at 16:03

I've got some Nichrome wire, refractory bricks, and kaowool.

Cou - 30-9-2014 at 17:02

Just fooling around heating various substances with my meker burner. I discovered that if you heat candle wax to boiling, it, for some reason, reacts with plant matter by bubbling and turning the wax dark.

Also discovered that boiling olive oil STINKS.

smaerd - 30-9-2014 at 17:46

I've been mostly studying, too much other stuff on-top of said studying. About to take my GRE in a few days. Working on building some apparatii in my nonexistent spare-time between battling serious depression and other nonesense. What can ya do?

My current research project is kinda cool though. Some sort of novel chemical sensor if it works. It won't. That's research hahaha. Makes it fun.

Made a tiny solenoid the other day going to see if it has any effect on a certain kind of isomerism(it won't). That's why it's fun. Blessings to all of ya, doing your home experimenting. Missing it big time over here.

Amos - 30-9-2014 at 18:22

Just fooling around heating various substances with my meker burner. I discovered that if you heat candle wax to boiling, it, for some reason, reacts with plant matter by bubbling and turning the wax dark.

Also discovered that boiling olive oil STINKS.

If you think that is bad, you should try dissolving some sulfur in it first! Hands-down my least pleasant olfactory experience in chemistry.

Cou - 30-9-2014 at 18:28

Quote: Originally posted by No Tears Only Dreams Now

If you think that is bad, you should try dissolving some sulfur in it first! Hands-down my least pleasant olfactory experience in chemistry.

Didn't know you could dissolve sulfur in oil.

MY worst olfactory experience was when I tried mixing sodium bromide with sulfuric acid, and it made this very bad smelling brown vapor that made bromine. But I think the reaction also makes sulfur dioxide, which reacts with the bromine to make hydrobromic acid and sulfuric acid. So it's kinda like an equilibrium reaction. It smells sorta like BBQed chlorine

[Edited on 1-10-2014 by Cou]

[Edited on 1-10-2014 by Cou]

Amos - 30-9-2014 at 18:32

Quote: Originally posted by No Tears Only Dreams Now

If you think that is bad, you should try dissolving some sulfur in it first! Hands-down my least pleasant olfactory experience in chemistry.

Yup! Sulfur is actually pretty soluble in heated olive oil, but not in a pretty way. The oil was so thick that it never settled out once cooled, and it dispersed the sulfur so finely that I think the two started vaporising together. If you ever want to do horrible horrible things to a person, I suggest spilling a sulfur solution in olive oil all over their carpet.

Cou - 30-9-2014 at 18:34

Yea, my meker burner easily boils sulfur into a gas

Chemosynthesis - 30-9-2014 at 23:27

Also, when I get into university (in one week!) I plan on joining the American Chemical Society Student Affiliates. I'm especially interested in doing outreach in public schools.

I recommend this very highly.

Brain&Force - 1-10-2014 at 09:58

The ACSSA did some demonstrations at yesterday's chem orientation. Some HMTD was detonated and the iodine clock reaction was performed (a video is linked on the Rador Labs thread, but I didn't get the HMTD detonation). I mentioned that I'm a hobby chemist when the professor asked us why we picked chemistry as our majors and suddenly everyone wants to collaborate with me on research projects. :cool:

Amos - 1-10-2014 at 10:29

The ACSSA did some demonstrations at yesterday's chem orientation. Some HMTD was detonated and the iodine clock reaction was performed (a video is linked on the Rador Labs thread, but I didn't get the HMTD detonation). I mentioned that I'm a hobby chemist when the professor asked us why we picked chemistry as our majors and suddenly everyone wants to collaborate with me on research projects. :cool:

I'm so jealous. Even if we did have a ACSSA branch at my university, I'm a bioengineering major and not chemistry or chemical engineering, so I probably couldn't work with them.

Brain&Force - 1-10-2014 at 11:00

It's an informal group, actually. You just need to be interested in chemistry. But I don't know anything about starting such a group.

[Edited on 1.10.2014 by Brain&Force]

The Volatile Chemist - 5-10-2014 at 13:05

Prepping (early) for the ACS Chemistry Olympiad.

Argentum - 7-10-2014 at 14:24

Wanted to fill some balloons with hydrogen gas. So I thought of building a generator with glassware. But I decided to build it with bottles instead. One of the bottles almost imploded, if i had made it with glassware I would be regreting of that. Oh, and balloons were a little loose so I did not catch any hydrogen. Anyways, I've learned something useful today.

I would upload a picture but I still cannot figure how

Jylliana92 - 28-10-2014 at 08:37

So... I have these 60L vessels with chemical waste, one of four is filled with heavy metals(aq).
It was almost full, and I read somewhere that adding a massive amount of sodium bicarbonate to the fluid will precipitate most of the metals as carbonates, the remaining fluid could be flushed down the drain.
I did as described, and then I discovered that it was a bad idea, because some giant foam slushy stuff started to slowly expand and ooze over the top of the vessel... at this point I started to slightly panic(60L is not just a little bit).

Opened all the doors and windows, put on my best protective gear and started wiping up the dense, green foam. At this point I was kinda hating myself of not thinking this through. Now my volume of heavy metal waste is even bigger than before! Darn it...

Jylliana - 28-10-2014 at 08:41

So... I have these 60L vessels with chemical waste, one of four is filled with heavy metals(aq).
It was almost full, and I read somewhere that adding a massive amount of sodium bicarbonate to the fluid will precipitate most of the metals as carbonates, the remaining fluid could be flushed down the drain.
I did as described, and then I discovered that it was a bad idea, because some giant foam slushy stuff started to slowly expand and ooze over the top of the vessel... at this point I started to slightly panic(60L is not just a little bit).

Opened all the doors and windows, put on my best protective gear and started wiping up the dense, green foam. At this point I was kinda hating myself for not thinking this through. Now my volume of heavy metal waste is even bigger than before! Darn it...

[Edited on 28-10-2014 by Jylliana]

Praxichys - 28-10-2014 at 09:39

Try adding sodium carbonate instead of bicarbonate. Ensure first that the waste is basic to litmus. (with NaOH) This will precipitate some metals as well as prevent a lot of CO2 from forming when the carbonate is added. Bicarbonate tends to release CO2 and isn't really a good choice.

Work with a smaller sample of the waste as a test. This will also help you determine how much solid you need to dispose of after settling and filtering.

What kind of metals are in the waste?

Jylliana - 28-10-2014 at 10:02

All sorts of stuff.. mostly lead, manganese and copper, I think, but the school's science program is so diverse that I think the entire periodic table is practically in there(of course, only the metals that are kind of commonly available).

I'll try it out with a small sample first, neutralize it and then add the carbonate. Should've know that..

Texium - 28-10-2014 at 10:15

I've been considering doing something similar with my toxic waste bucket (which is just about 2.5 gallons). It mainly contains copper, chromium, manganese, and barium compounds. I tried on a small scale and it worked fine using sodium carbonate to precipitate it. Bicarbonate worked too, but it was a huge pain to control the CO<sub>2</sub> off-gassing.

Praxichys - 28-10-2014 at 10:41

I think I mentioned it in another thread somewhere, but what I usually do once I get a gallon or two of waste is to mix it with quikcrete portland cement (using the waste sludge as the water for the cement mix) until the cement is of a thick consistency, then let it solidify in a big chunk on some newspaper. The hard chunk(s) can just go out with the trash since it is expected that landfills already are full of heavy metals anyway, and the cement works to keep them from leaching.

If you are disposing of waste for the school, make sure you are in compliance with state and federal regulations or it could cost you heavy fines/jail time (if you live in the USA anyway).

gdflp - 28-10-2014 at 11:34

If the waste contains copper compounds, adding sodium carbonate will still result in carbon dioxide due to the hydrolysis of copper carbonate so watch out for that.

Jylliana - 29-10-2014 at 04:16

Sodium Carbonate works much better. It still bubbles, but there's no excessive foam formation.
This could work

The Volatile Chemist - 31-10-2014 at 05:43

I have a jam jar of manganese gunk. For smaller reactions, I prefer using such containers for waste. But I always try to collect the 'waste' as it's best not to waste reagents. Especially heavy metals.

gardul - 31-10-2014 at 18:44

I am currently toying with the idea to see if I can extract potassium chloride from barqs root beer just for the hell of it.

Texium - 31-10-2014 at 20:37

Quote: Originally posted by gardul

I am currently toying with the idea to see if I can extract potassium chloride from barqs root beer just for the hell of it.

Sounds very aggravating and fruitless. Good luck!

gardul - 31-10-2014 at 20:50

Quote: Originally posted by zts16

Quote: Originally posted by gardul

I am currently toying with the idea to see if I can extract potassium chloride from barqs root beer just for the hell of it.

Sounds very aggravating and fruitless. Good luck!

I am sure It will fail... but it could be fun? Could learn some things from doing this rather pointless experiment. who knows..

Texium - 31-10-2014 at 20:56

It's true, you definitely could. I shouldn't be so pessimistic, as I am also prone to doing rather pointless seeming things for no particularly good reason.
The other day I boiled down a few mL of concentrated iodophor cleaner because I read that it was possible to obtain pure iodine from it that way. I set it up with a cold flask above the boiling beaker, but I wasn't able to condense any of the vapors. It seems like the amount was just too small. They were visible though. Beautiful violet iodine vapors can't be beat, even when they can't be salvaged for any purpose. I'd say that was worth it for the experience.

gardul - 31-10-2014 at 21:26

I am sure I will wind up with some nasty goo. I have to figure out how to seperate it from the suger.

The Volatile Chemist - 2-11-2014 at 12:30

Finally got some more hydrogen peroxide, so I'll be oxidizing stuff again

Just curious, are there any profitable reactions that involve table sugar as a reagent for the amateur chemist?

blargish - 2-11-2014 at 12:45

Just curious, are there any profitable reactions that involve table sugar as a reagent for the amateur chemist?

Erm, Benedict's Reagent? If you for some reason need Copper I oxide... (I believe sucrose only gives a positive test if you acidify it)

My personal main use of sugar is merely as a fuel in pyrotechnics

Anything interesting planned with the peroxide?

The Volatile Chemist - 2-11-2014 at 13:09

Quote: Originally posted by blargish

Just curious, are there any profitable reactions that involve table sugar as a reagent for the amateur chemist?

OK. I meant more or less organic reactions, as I don't need B's reagent to tell me sucrose is sugar

And no, no interesting plans. Any (Non-pyrotechnic) suggestions?

[Edited on 11-2-2014 by The Volatile Chemist]

j_sum1 - 2-11-2014 at 15:09

Well I ignited a sugar/potassium chlorate mix for the kids to watch over the weekend. But I am not sure that is what you mean by profitable.

As for what I have been up to... I tidied my lab. Well, kinda. My lab is a shared space with a whole lot of other things and I cleaned up the lab bit, unpacked some boxes, sorted and stacked the chemicals so I can see what is there. I still have some labelling to do so I haven't done a count on how many elements are in my collection. And I have lost a packet of stir bars. Can't find them anywhere.

Amos - 2-11-2014 at 16:21

Profitable reaction using sucrose you say?

Moonshine.

The Volatile Chemist - 2-11-2014 at 19:49

Haha, not monetary profit

I just mean any reactions where you can collect products.

j_sum1 - 2-11-2014 at 19:57

Seriously then, ethanol is an option.

Jylliana - 25-11-2014 at 03:10

Today I tried to make a Silver Mirror.
It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.
But, I made elemental silver out of silver nitrate.

The Volatile Chemist - 25-11-2014 at 04:47

Today I tried to make a Silver Mirror.
It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.
But, I made elemental silver out of silver nitrate.

Indeed it is. Where'd you get your silver nitrate?
I recently made Fehling's solution, and a LOT of Zinc Carbonate.

Jylliana - 25-11-2014 at 05:07

Today I tried to make a Silver Mirror.
It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.
But, I made elemental silver out of silver nitrate.

Indeed it is. Where'd you get your silver nitrate?
I recently made Fehling's solution, and a LOT of Zinc Carbonate.

It was in a bottle here at school. I guess my coworker ordered it from a webshop, which I know always has good products. I doubt that silver nitrate was the problem.

The Volatile Chemist - 25-11-2014 at 05:26

Today I tried to make a Silver Mirror.
It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.
But, I made elemental silver out of silver nitrate.

Indeed it is. Where'd you get your silver nitrate?
I recently made Fehling's solution, and a LOT of Zinc Carbonate.

It was in a bottle here at school. I guess my coworker ordered it from a webshop, which I know always has good products. I doubt that silver nitrate was the problem.

Oh, I wasn't blaming any problems on anything.
I was just curious where you got it or if you used your school's chemicals.
Regardless, elemental silver is nice! Do you have an element collection?

Jylliana - 25-11-2014 at 05:33

I do, but I already had silver

jock88 - 25-11-2014 at 06:19

What molecule is this

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/square/000/005/600/its-s...

Mailinmypocket - 25-11-2014 at 07:01

I've been tediously doing runs of benzene synthesis from benzoic acid and calcium oxide as well as trying different combinations of reactants (calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, etc). Building the set up was easy, just takes a while to get decent amounts of benzene when each run produces about 30ml of crude benzene, soon will be time to dry and redistill.

Steam - 25-11-2014 at 08:28

Been working on synthesizing molecular motors. I am about to start actual lab prep of the reagents in a couple weeks.

I have also made big steps on my ultrasonic levitation device. I ran the first successful test of it last weakened. Still have big steps to go, but at least it looks promising.

Also, as a side project, I am working on Aga's nitric acid challenge!

Arcuritech - 25-11-2014 at 16:27

I'm trying to scrape together a driver circuit for my jury-rigged gas proportional counter spectrometer. I've been trying to avoid buying things online because I wanted to do it in the spirit of a hardware store and scrapyard style build but my city seems to have no electronics stores that sell discrete components (Which is why that thread went silent). There is a Radio Shack, but they're only selling the most basic stuff and for a ridiculous markup.

Jylliana - 26-11-2014 at 10:19

I ampouled a small amount of iodine crystals for my collection

Doesn't happen often, me ampouling something succesfully

bismuthate - 26-11-2014 at 10:40

And with a broken arm at that.

Magpie - 26-11-2014 at 11:03

It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.

Was your test tube clean and smooth? I think it should be for a good mirror. This is just a guess though.

Little_Ghost_again - 26-11-2014 at 12:13

Total lab overhaul! Split the lab into two buildings as I now have some seriously cool equipment, I decided to have the fume hood and anything thats not too kind to electronics in one building and the other things in another. Eventually I will get it all sorted properly! So I now have a HP GC with FID and MS, also managed to get a real bargain centrifuge!! Listed on ebay as non working, phoned the guy up and and got it for £42.
It arrived today and I plugged it in, nothing!!! totally dead, then I realised that the settings switch wasnt set right. I set the controls properly and off it went WEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee.
So I now have a fully functional centrifuge. Mostly working on yeast at the moment and trying to learn chemistry!

aga - 26-11-2014 at 12:39

You have a centrifuge that works on yeast !?!

Wow. That *is* eco-friendly

[Edited on 26-11-2014 by aga]

Jylliana - 26-11-2014 at 12:56

Quote: Originally posted by Magpie

It did go quite well, only I ended up with chunky silver precipitate instead of the actual mirror.

Was your test tube clean and smooth? I think it should be for a good mirror. This is just a guess though.

I think it was. It was brand new. Maybe I heated it too much/too long? Is that possible?

Magpie - 26-11-2014 at 14:28

My Tollen's test procedure says nothing about heating. It does say the test tube should be clean.

My procedure for making the Tollen's reagent says that upon standing or heating it deposits a black precipitate which is explosive.

This refers to the reagent with NaOH added for extra sensitivity.

[Edited on 26-11-2014 by Magpie]

Little_Ghost_again - 26-11-2014 at 14:43

Quote: Originally posted by aga

You have a centrifuge that works on yeast !?!

Wow. That *is* eco-friendly

[Edited on 26-11-2014 by aga]

Ha you mock me now......... we run on generators mostly here so yes in the future the generator my well run on ethanol from yeast

.
Yeah yeah yeah I know its illegal to distill etc etc etc. I will be breaking the law and someone nosey will grass me up etc etc. YAWNNNNNnnnn

What have I been doing?

Jylliana - 27-11-2014 at 02:24

This

Jylliana - 27-11-2014 at 03:36

Quote: Originally posted by Magpie

My Tollen's test procedure says nothing about heating. It does say the test tube should be clean.

My procedure for making the Tollen's reagent says that upon standing or heating it deposits a black precipitate which is explosive.

This refers to the reagent with NaOH added for extra sensitivity.

[Edited on 26-11-2014 by Magpie]

Woelen's instructions and Nurdrage's instructions both say you should heat it up to roughly 60 degrees C. So that's what I did.

The initial precipitate was brown, and after heating grey. So not black and hopefully not explosive.

[Edited on 27-11-2014 by Jylliana]

blogfast25 - 27-11-2014 at 10:52

Please read this:

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=32782#...

Fresh and spent Tollens' reaction solutions are potentially very dangerous, if you didn't know that already...

You really don't have to get to see the black crystals of Ag3N for such a solution to actually detonate.

[Edited on 27-11-2014 by blogfast25]

Jylliana - 27-11-2014 at 11:35

I didn't leave he solution to stand for so long. I prepared everything up front so I would be done asap. Everything was done and also neutralized with HCl within the hour.I did that because I knew the leftover mix would become explosive. Imo I was well prepared and as much as possible risk free.

j_sum1 - 20-12-2014 at 21:02

What have I been doing?
Diet coke and Mentos with the daughter.
Apart from bubble nucleation I don't know the science. I gather that the combination of these two particular products alters the surface properties in a favourable fashion.
But it was fun!

smaerd - 21-12-2014 at 08:53

Been working on graduate school applications.

Aside from that, I've got the hard-ware for my syringe pump about finished waiting on some resistors to do the electronics then then programming(interface).

Making small amounts of progress on my lithography device but that's going to be another longer term project.

Thinking about ways to over-haul my polarimeter design...

Did a quick synthesis of a cyclodextrin derivative the other day, going to probably do another synthesis of a 3 membered heterocycle in the near future.

Lot's to do, so little time.

The Volatile Chemist - 21-12-2014 at 14:21

Just acquired a pump for my condenser, so I'll be doing a lot of reactions involving my distillation apparatus, as I can now use it with ease. Excited in that regards.

Texium - 22-12-2014 at 09:03

I haven't been doing nearly enough chemistry lately. I just got off school for winter break a couple days ago, so I have a couple weeks available. I was thinking of making ethyl salicylate today.

The Volatile Chemist - 22-12-2014 at 15:59

Quote: Originally posted by zts16

I haven't been doing nearly enough chemistry lately. I just got off school for winter break a couple days ago, so I have a couple weeks available. I was thinking of making ethyl salicylate today.

Same, just got off too. How do you plan on making ethyl salicylate?

Metacelsus - 22-12-2014 at 16:56

Guess what, I'm on break too! I'm working on a synthesis of benzocaine, (p-nitrotoluene->p-nitrobenzoic acid->p-aminobenzoic acid->benzocaine). I might also make anthranilic acid, using o-nitrotoluene.

Oh, and I haven't forgotten about the OTC TEMPO challenge. I'm going to try a zinc amalgam reduction of the oxo compound.

[Edited on 23-12-2014 by Cheddite Cheese]

HeYBrO - 22-12-2014 at 23:43

Quote: Originally posted by Cheddite Cheese

Guess what, I'm on break too! I'm working on a synthesis of benzocaine, (p-nitrotoluene->p-nitrobenzoic acid->p-aminobenzoic acid->benzocaine). I might also make anthranilic acid, using o-nitrotoluene.

[Edited on 23-12-2014 by Cheddite Cheese]

Lambdasyn has an excellent procedure on that; http://www.lambdasyn.org/synfiles/benzocain.htm. Will you post some picture and or notes on your experiences?

Mailinmypocket - 23-12-2014 at 05:59

Here is another excellent benzocaine write up, in German but still easy to follow or translate:

http://www.versuchschemie.de/topic,7754,-Benzocain.html

aga - 23-12-2014 at 12:33

That write up is beautiful.

Knowledge of German is hardly required.

Zyklon-A - 23-12-2014 at 12:39

I haven't been doing much chemistry either, but this week or the next I'll have time to work on some big projects I've been planning for a while.

aga - 23-12-2014 at 13:46

Pyrolysing plastics ...

... followed by a LOT of glass cleaning, using up all of my toluene, and about 70% of my acetone too.

Makes a HUGE mess of the glassware.

Some bits are sitting overnight in H2SO4 +H2O2 in a desperate attempt to get rid of the gooey gunk.

This thread should be in Whimsy.

All of the other threads really encompass this one.

Texium - 30-12-2014 at 15:48

Well, the ethyl salicylate that I mentioned in my last post didn't work out. Not sure exactly what went wrong, but I'm sure I probably made some silly mistake sometime during the process that messed it up.

Yesterday I distilled some nitric acid for the first time. I opted for the azeotropic concentration, and obtained a little over 100 mL. It's only slightly yellow. I'll probably use some for dissolving copper and lead, and I may possibly make some ETN, since tomorrow is one of the two days a year that one can detonate things without being questioned.

Quote: Originally posted by aga

This thread should be in Whimsy.

All of the other threads really encompass this one.

I disagree. I feel like it's a good thread to just mention the little projects you happen to be working on, when they aren't worthy of a separate thread, just so people know you're still alive and doing chemistry. That's basically what my last couple of posts here have been.

[Edited on 12-30-2014 by zts16]

Brain&Force - 30-12-2014 at 16:04

I'll be in a lab course this quarter, hopefully I can do a little something with the lanthanides I'm buying...

I also hope to synth some tosyl chloride, just for fun.

HeYBrO - 30-12-2014 at 23:50

been producing some Ethyl ethanoate, will be doing some solvent cleaning up (toluene) and some other cool stuff.

The Volatile Chemist - 2-1-2015 at 09:35

Quote: Originally posted by HeYBrO

been producing some Ethyl ethanoate, will be doing some solvent cleaning up (toluene) and some other cool stuff.

How'd you make it?

Zyklon-A - 2-1-2015 at 09:50

I went to a camp, then sprained my ankle on a half pipe the first day. Guess how that week went... :mad:

[Edited on 2-1-2015 by Zyklon-A]

HeYBrO - 2-1-2015 at 16:14

Quote: Originally posted by HeYBrO

been producing some Ethyl ethanoate, will be doing some solvent cleaning up (toluene) and some other cool stuff.

How'd you make it?

With ethanol, acetic acid and sulphuric acid. I'm writing a prep on it for my blog, however i probably won't post it here due its trivial nature (unless people want me to post it)

[Edited on 3-1-2015 by HeYBrO]

Metacelsus - 3-1-2015 at 13:07

I'm almost done building a fume hood (it should be done within a week). I found a great blower motor at Ax-Man (a local surplus store) for $9.95, which is about 15% of what it's worth. The most expensive part was actually the acrylic front panel (I know acrylic isn't very chemical-resistant, but it was the only thing I could get for a sane price).

Brain&Force - 3-1-2015 at 13:30

I set some lithium on fire!

God, them fumes...

Pasrules - 5-1-2015 at 03:46

Bought some Condy's crystals from the chemist and had a taste of my 20Kg bag of food grade citric acid... Maybe i should make ridiculously sour lollies.

Loptr - 5-1-2015 at 07:38

Quote: Originally posted by Pasrules

Bought some Condy's crystals from the chemist and had a taste of my 20Kg bag of food grade citric acid... Maybe i should make ridiculously sour lollies.

20kg of citric acid? Wow, that is a lot. I have some, but only a 500 grams.

[Edited on 5-1-2015 by Loptr]

Praxichys - 5-1-2015 at 07:59

I have successfully run a ketene lamp for 14 hours now and I have almost 200ml of raw acetic anhydride starting from about 40ml of tap water and $12/gal technical acetone. So far about 400ml pyrolyzed, scrubbed, and bubbled into the water, which has quadrupled in volume. A resounding success as evidenced by extremely strong acetic acid smell in initial cuts.

Video coming soon, following the carbon monoxide special.

Tdep - 5-1-2015 at 08:05

That's awesome! Acetic anhydride is one of the few chemicals I refuse to make or own, there's too many laws around it, and too many poppies growing in my garden. Can't wait for the video though!

Fenir - 5-1-2015 at 08:19

I have been slowly gathering materials to make a tesla coil. Hopefully I can start building soon.

Brain&Force - 5-1-2015 at 10:11

Quote: Originally posted by Tdep

That's awesome! Acetic anhydride is one of the few chemicals I refuse to make or own, there's too many laws around it, and too many poppies growing in my garden. Can't wait for the video though!

...why are you growing poppies in your garden?

The Volatile Chemist - 5-1-2015 at 14:40