dorking out
Harmless
Posts: 1
Registered: 18-9-2003
Location: Goleta, CA
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Mood: No Mood
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Cost cutting through mad science
Hi everybody! I just registered after a while of lurking.
I thought of a topic I havent seen discussed:
Are there any ways to use mad science to save money or time or do things more efficiently?
I can only think of a couple examples.
NaOH can be purchased very cheap for 1kg, which could save a couple bucks on cleaning your drain.
You could make your own chemiluminescent materials, cutting costs on glow-sticks.
You could dye your own shirts, and make your own soap...
You could distill your own alcohol...
And we mustn't forget the money saved on entertainment! 
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a_bab
Hazard to Others
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Registered: 15-9-2002
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Mood: Angry !!!!!111111...2?!
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"You could make your own chemiluminescent materials, cutting costs on glow-sticks"
Yes, you can; but you need really expensive chemicals. You want to synthesize these chemicals ? Fine; you need expensive precursors and equipment.
I'd say that glow sticks are not that expensive.
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Mephisto
Chemicus Diabolicus
Posts: 294
Registered: 24-8-2002
Location: Germany
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Mood: swinging
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... and make your own soap and nitroglycerin from fat ... ah, no this wasn’t the real life, I messed it up with "Fight Club“  
I taste some times ago a self brewed beer. Surprisingly it tastes very good, a little bit like the German beer "Schoefferhofer Weizen“. But
I didn’t know, if it was really cost cutting to brew it.
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Iv4
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YAY somewhere I actually know some shit.Unless you pay taxes on it or something equally stupid its definatly worth brewing.Though 90% of everyone I
know just distils it into vodka(never tased the mash).
Think about it a kilo of potatos some water maybe a little sugar to get it started and some yeast(the baking grade works just fine).Say 4
euros(I'm in the East of the planet so it might cost less here but still I doubt by much). you get vodka.Usually that would cost you more.Takes a
while but done in a large bucket with a tap like still and heating element it pays of.
Or just absorb ethane in warm sulfuric acid under some presure add water and distil of.Theres the ethane/water raney nickel 600 atms and a lot of heat
method.
Say a few questions:with electrolysis could the water and ethane be made to ethanol without those condiions.
Another thing.With the sulfuric acid way would polyethane work?
[Edited on 18-9-2003 by Iv4]
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Polverone
Now celebrating 21 years of madness
Posts: 3186
Registered: 19-5-2002
Location: The Sunny Pacific Northwest
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Mood: Waiting for spring
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save money on cleaning supplies!
Technical grade concentrated acids and alkalies are a lot better for cleaning in the bathroom than branded products... just be careful where the
materials go! And be careful not to mix the two classes.
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chloric1
International Hazard
Posts: 1070
Registered: 8-10-2003
Location: GroupVII of the periodic table
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Bringing up dusty posts
I once impressed my landlord by cleaning his shower of lime and soap scum for a measly $0.75 worth of chemicals. I had purchased a gallon of
butylcellusolve for $9 and used about 50ml of this with tap water and about 1 oz of citric acid from the wine makers store. Tartaric acid is stronger
and would chelate a little better.
[Edited on 6/16/2005 by chloric1]
Fellow molecular manipulator
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MadHatter
International Hazard
Posts: 1332
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Maine
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Mood: Enjoying retirement
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Cleaner
Using Red Devil Lye, I use a 5% NaOH solution to remove heavy grease from the commercial vehicles
I work with. Works better than any of the commercial cleaners - and faster.
From opening of NCIS New Orleans - It goes a BOOM ! BOOM ! BOOM ! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !
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Rosco Bodine
Banned
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Registered: 29-9-2004
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Mood: analytical
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Seriously , what Mad Science really does
is teach you factually the true story about
all those things McGyver could have taught you , but didn't truly want for you to know
And remember , there are few problems that can't be made to vanish by the proper application in sufficient quantity of high explosive
For those especially stubborn stains ,
when nothing less will do
[Edited on 17-6-2005 by Rosco Bodine]
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Pyridinium
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I find that a mixture of sulfuric and phosphoric acids is a good cleaner for badly rusted tools. Cheaper than naval jelly.... nastier too. It
destroys gloves rather quickly.
I know another chemist who uses phenol for cleaning around the house. By today's standards, that is mad science.
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12AX7
Post Harlot
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Registered: 8-3-2005
Location: oscillating
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Mood: informative
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Ouch! At worst I use HCl... the last stuff I was pickling I was literally pickling, vinegar saturated with salt works wonderfully to remove oxides if
you have a few days.
Tim
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