Explaining your chemistry hobby

Well, those who know I do this are only the inner family and my partner, and of those besides her it is only my old man who really do care and are interested about what it is I am doing exactly.
And when I explain it, they hang on every word despite understanding like only every third.
But I do love to explain and describe it, using analogues and try to make it easier understood with detailed explainations.
I guess they can see then in my eyes why I like to do this so much

And everyone else I know and consider my friends are hobby chemists themselves

But for the rest of the world, they don't need to know about this, I keep my mouth shut to them.
It is too much trouble and can cause real problems, even if I wouldn't make illicit compounds, I would still do it like this.

Quote: Originally posted by Belowzero

They often proceed with question like; but what is it you actually try to achive or what is the goal of these products.

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

But for the rest of the world, they don't need to know about this, I keep my mouth shut to them. It is too much trouble and can cause real problems, even if I wouldn't make illicit compounds, I would still do it like this.

I didnt have an actual lab for quite a few years and this was my approach last time I did, now I am more open about it.

Still there is something to be said for what you mention, I sometimes fear that people will misunderstand or even weaponize this knowledge in the form of extortion.



For the rest yeah perhaps that is the best explaination, it being just a hobby with no particulair end-goal, same as fishing not having an end-goal.
It's just a little more exotic than fishing

I do it the same as you have described, just tell that I'm interested in it and like to discover chemistry.

To my parents, I tell them that I'm actually learning and practising some generally useful specific reactions such as reduction, alkylation and so on and that these reactions' skills will be desired when I will work as a chemist somewhere

And when people ask but why, what do these compounds really do? I just show them some luminol or triboluminescent complexes, or just some quick basic experiment such as HCl and NH3 clouds. This is usually enough for them.

Quote: Originally posted by Draeger

I just try to explain it by also comparing it to other hobbies that are expensive and don't really have a practical use: it's just fun. But then the question arises why one would risk exposing oneself to toxic gasses and other such compounds. Then I can't reply. I guess you can't really explain this hobby 100%, at least when you work with Cl2 or such things.

Just reply with the famous quote of Johann Joachim Becher!
That should be sufficient to explain why one would risk exposition to toxic gasses and other such things

Don't know, you may not know it, so I add it to go sure:

Average people can understand why somebody likes parachuting, downhill, extreme sports. Adrenaline is the thing that many likes.
But they tend to not understand why somebody would risk his health or even life by working with toxic, corrosive and carcinogenic compounds without any special purpose as a hobby chemist.
Even clandestine chemist are more understood because they have at least a clearly defined goal

It's hard even to explain myself why I am doing it, especially when a huge cloud of NO2 was produced. Average people don't find it funny if you ask them if they know how does the lungs edema smell

It's a hobby (and you probably have others). People have hobbies to learn, to keep themselves busy, get better at something or several things at once etc.
The one thing this hobby really suffers from is that well... it's a solitary hobby mostly. Not like boating or soccer. And it happens behind closed doors so who knows what you are up to ?

Why do I run several times the same reaction ? Why do you run one more loop today than you did yesterday ? You can probably explain the concept of yield from there.

Most people will understand an analogy with cooking even if they dont cook. They all eat
Tell them about how many cookbooks they have, how many recipes they tried lately. Everybody enjoys trying new food right ?
Then tell them you have the CAS registry and it's 158 million entries, 10-15000 daily additions and in many case the several possible pathways and yields.

I used that one just three weeks ago explaining that I would need several lifetimes even if I was only interested in a fraction of these chemicals. He understood allright.

Give them the DHMO joke ! Let them realize having gallons and gallons of solvent (or a precursor to rocket fuel!) in your bathroom isnt as bad as it sounds. I got a fun short lived relationship with a girl whose face was saying more and more "do you think I'm stupid?!" the more I was talking. I was messing with a few colleagues about hydrogen hydroxide when one who was actually listening did the maths and lifted his finger with a "wait a second" confused look.

Make yourself useful !
I made hand sanitizer during lockdown gave some to neighbours and colleagues at work.
From "potentially dangerous crazy chemist that will set the building on fire" to "usefull weirdo neighbour". The hand sanitizer at work is mixed with amyl acetate. Mine is not. Guess why they like mine more

Tell them about something they can understand. Oh, so your hobby is painting ? Let's talk about colorfull chemistry, pigments.
Oh, you're wearing blue jeans ? Let's talk about the historical importance of that dye in particular or the economic importance of all of them 120 years ago.

Of course, if the idea is to keep yourself busy and possibly making a buck or two start there.
Making money, even pennies is something everybody will understand.

Quote: Originally posted by outer_limits

Even clandestine chemist are more understood because they have at least a clearly defined goal

Yes that is sadly true
I was visiting my parents where my dog resides now(I mentioned her, very old, and an ephedrine user) and together my dad and me made single doses for her, I weighed them, he packed them up...
And we had a funny talk during this, he asked "and how did you made this powder?", pointing to the vial of racephedrine HCl I took the doses out with a spatula, and I explained to him that it was a three step process(from propiophenone), and how its a controlled precursor, but that the initial precursor to the ephedrine is even an illegal drug
He nodded with a proud look on his face and said "wow"

It was much harder around ~15 years ago when I still pretended I do some undefined legal chemistry stuff
They didn't understand back then, but they do now.
Especially my old man does very well.
Just lately I started to supply him with racemic lefetamine capsules for his back pain, and the first evening after he did(again...) too much garden work, he called me apparently a little bit euphoric and told me its good and helpful stuff I send him there

Now they appreciate my hobby even more and see the usefulness and what is driving me in it, and I am happy they understand it now so much better over the last years.

Oh, and what was always a good thing and still is, to make something good smelling for your partner!
Mine loves the smell of piperonal(and oddly, of acetophenone), so I make occasionally somethings with a féw drops of them in it for her

[Edited on 25-7-2020 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

*edit* the EtOH was (ahemmm) locally produced

*cough* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MolEynmUup0 *cough*

We are all lovable creatures if the people just get to know us!

I would produce the beta blocker someones gram needed, just out of generousity, I like to help people and to be useful.

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

I explained to him that it was a three step process(from propiophenone), and how its a controlled precursor, but that the initial precursor to the ephedrine is even an illegal drug

Skip the reduction and let the dog have some fun

Quote: Originally posted by macckone

Mine is a little easier. I am going through robert thompson's book with my daughter. Tonight we did elephant toothpaste together. That isn't actually in the book. She really wants to learn cool demos and being able to blow stuff up.

Quote: Originally posted by outer_limits

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³   I explained to him that it was a three step process(from propiophenone), and how its a controlled precursor, but that the initial precursor to the ephedrine is even an illegal drug Skip the reduction and let the dog have some fun

She is way too old for that!
Thats not good for her heart in that age(20 years).

And apparently, she enjoys it already enough, people already said that she looks way happier now, always smiling, again energetic and she even started to play with her squeaky toys again just as she did when she was younger(just not all the time of course, but occasionally)

I think most people have a shallow understanding of chemistry. I usually respond by explaining they use it every day as well, I just seek a deeper understanding so I can take advantage of it and perhaps create something unique. Most of my hobby centers around plating and electroforming, pigments, dyes, oxidizing patinas, etc., because I like to integrate it with art. Below is a raccoon skull I electroformed with copper. I have done similar electroforms capturing stones and other objects with nickel as well.

Quote: Originally posted by OldNubbins

I think most people have a shallow understanding of chemistry. I usually respond by explaining they use it every day as well, I just seek a deeper understanding so I can take advantage of it and perhaps create something unique. Most of my hobby centers around plating and electroforming, pigments, dyes, oxidizing patinas, etc., because I like to integrate it with art. Below is a raccoon skull I electroformed with copper. I have done similar electroforms capturing stones and other objects with nickel as well.

Quote: Originally posted by OldNubbins

I suppose it is technically electroplating but I use the electroforming term because the deposit is very thick and not adhered to the skull - the copper can be removed easily if it were not encasing the skull as thoroughly. I usually use multiple coats of an aerosol graphite spray to create a conductive layer and use a copper sulfate electroplating solution. Same with nickel electroforms I have done - start with a copper strike and pile on the nickel. would like to try making a nickel electroform crucible someday. Eventuall would like to do some electroless nickel as it is easier to plate a variety of materials.

Hobby

I don't have to explain my chemistry hobby.
My family and friends have known for a
long time that my favorite things are
energetic materials.