Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Chemist's paradise

Roger86 - 18-8-2011 at 12:53

I'm a finnish citizen, is consider myself to be fluent in english, i have a highschool degree, and laboratory workers degree (3 years) and i love home chemistry as a hobby.Im intrested as how it's having chemistry as a hobby in different countries, maybe with a serious intent to live few years abroad.I'd like everyone to rate their own country on scale as how good it is to be a hobbyist there.

Here is how i'd rate Finland

+ low population relative to size of country so neighbourgs are more far away, lots of rural places to set a lab

+ as with any rural countries, tons of fertilizers to be bought (exampes include NH4NO3, KNO3,HNO3,Ca(OH)2)

+we have huge variety of big superstores that carry relatively pure household chemicals

+ education is free, and lots of chemistry industry, so schools have big take in quotas

- practically no photography suppliers, or speciality stores

- only one electronic company supplies glassware, their selection is poor

- because of three mass murders in 5 milllion population country, police is a bitch.(as an example it is really possible to get your mental sanity examined by professionals by just having some NH4NO3, in a city)

Chemical price examples;

36% H2SO4 1,5€ a liter,NH4NO3 ~0,5€/kg, Diethyl ether 12,5€/l



Also, were close to russia, and i on my 3rd year visa, so here's how id rate Russia

+ real estate cant be bought by foreigners, but rent of single apartment is 120€/month, includes water and electricity

+ everything is OTC, even pharmaceuticals for example benzodiazepams,viagra,tetracyclin,nitroglycerin all OTC:cool:

+ a free trip to Siberia if get caught practicing home chemistry;)

I believe U.S.A is the country to do chemistry in?

Mildronate - 18-8-2011 at 14:49

In Moscow aparment will not be cheap. Syberia there is -40*C sometime :) . Payment for job is also low. Chemicals you can get all in Russia. Smokes and vodka (I really like vodka) are cheap. For home chemist Russia is the best place. If never had deal with Rusians dangerous place :D. My country is Latvia chemicals can buy (not all of course),lot of soviet chemicals and glasware can find if search. Before EU there was better place to my mind. Good reserch and science. From our country comes Yournal of heterolytic coumpounds (orginal in russian,but translatedby springer), well know reserch is from Latvian organic synthesis institute. W.Ostwald, P.Walden also was from Latvia. In Latvia also had worked Arenius with Ostwald. My nick mildronate is whellknown drug from Latvia (I.Kalvins, Organic Synthesis institute). there are to pharmacy gigants "Olainfarm" and Grindex. Grindex in soviet union was experimental factory of organic synthesis institute. Olainfarm is factory in chemist sity olaine in soviet union there was many chemical factorys, Nowdays there is Olainfarm, BIolar, Polymer factory. iN soviet union there was chemicals factory. Insoviet union was only one chemicals brand "REAHIM" it had many factorys in all soviet union in latvia was 2 factorys, REAHIM was bigest chemicals company ever maded. Of course was secret factorys in soviet union also.

Melgar - 24-9-2011 at 18:29

The USA isn't exactly the ideal place to do chemistry. The public tends to think of all "chemicals" as being dangerous, and it's just a matter of time before anyone with a home chemistry lab is investigated by police as either a potential bomb lab or a drug lab. You'll be fine if you're not making explosives or drugs, but if you even dabble in them (and honestly, aren't we all just a little curious?) you can say good bye to all your chemicals and glassware and say hello to a long drawn out criminal investigation!

Honestly, I think the best place to do chemistry is India. Not only is glassware and chemicals super cheap, but as long as you aren't causing trouble for the authorities, they tend to leave you alone. Now, making out with your girlfriend in public? That's a whole other story. (To be fair, they do have different expectations of foreigners as they do of Indians)

Mildronate - 25-9-2011 at 02:25

the best place is China.

KNO3me - 29-9-2011 at 23:40

Quote: Originally posted by Roger86  
+ everything is OTC, even pharmaceuticals for example benzodiazepams,viagra,tetracyclin,nitroglycerin all OTC:cool:


You can buy nitroglycerin OTC in Russia? REALLY?



Yes, unfortunately America is becoming more and more of a nanny state like Australia. I believe the reason why countries become nanny states is mainly because of sheer ignorance.
:(

I have a young friend that lives in South Africa at the present time and he's able to detonate LEs and HEs with no worries other than the dangers that the explosives impose. Although he does live in a rural area the cops wouldn't seem to care anyway because corruption is so rampant over there.

I don’t think China is the best country to explore chemistry however it is one of the best countries to pollute the environment with no legal consequences.

Mildronate - 29-9-2011 at 23:48

Yes you can buy nitroglycerin tablets, its heart medicine.

USA is still the place for home chemistry!

jamit - 30-9-2011 at 01:28

First, let me say that no country is perfectly safe if you want to do home chemistry.

I live in the US and very few people know I have a home lab and I keep it that way because the US and all the other countries in the world frown upon anyone doing any serious chemistry "at home".

While there are some chemicals that are not available for the general public (iodine, phosphorus, etc.), by and large most of the chemicals are still available or can be made from chemicals that can be bought OTC or from specialty stores.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s when it was possible to buy all the chemicals you wanted but you didn't have ebay or access to the information you have now, including sciencemadness or youtube or ways to share information and ideas.

My suggestion to anyone who wants to practice chemistry at home is that you stay away from drug related chemistry and keep your pyro interested to a very small scale.

And also, you should keep your chemistry lab a secret, except for the most trusted. And let them know why. I do all my experiment with my kids but no one except my wife knows about it... not even my best friends.

The day when you can openly tell others about your chemistry lab -- your pride and joy -- is over and yes we are forced to go underground but that kind of makes it more exciting! Kind of twisted I know.

So long as your intentions are honorable, meaning that you have a lab at home to learn about the science of chemistry, you shouldn't be worried... but don't go around blabbing your mouth and don't do anything that might put others in danger.

That's my take on the subject. USA for all its imperfection is still 'king' of home chemistry and lab. I know, I'm blessed to be living here and I can do all the chemistry I want.



bbartlog - 30-9-2011 at 03:01

I also live in the US, and I think the body of your post really contradicts the header. A great place for home chemistry! ...except if you have anything drug-related... and keep your pyro small... and for heaven's sake don't *tell* anyone...
I do think that it is still a pretty good place to obtain materials. Russia may well have a lot of OTC items that are proscribed here, but last I heard the mail there was still unreliable (stuff gets stolen). But as far as having to worry about law enforcement, it's pretty bad. It does vary from state to state, and based on statistics and personal experience I believe that here in Pennsylvania the police are still pretty sane, but that is certainly not true everywhere in the USA.

Mildronate - 30-9-2011 at 03:13

In post soviet union is much abadonned laboratorys you can just go in and take aparatus and glaware, chemicals, must from my glasware and chemicals are from abadonned factorys, some are from university, some i buy. I know man who illgeal sell chemicals he eliminates unusable laboratorys and chemicals. I also know guarded abadonned factory, but i pay litlle money to guard and take all what i need, in that factory is almost everything, to my mind it was secret soviet biological weapons factory. I had take many things from abadonned water treatment station.

[Edited on 30-9-2011 by Mildronate]

gsd - 30-9-2011 at 03:52

Quote: Originally posted by Melgar  


Honestly, I think the best place to do chemistry is India. Not only is glassware and chemicals super cheap, but as long as you aren't causing trouble for the authorities, they tend to leave you alone.


I am from India and I agree with this observation. However following points are pertinent here:

I live in one of the most populated cities in the world but I do not know anyone who is having lab at home.

This is an extremely populated and congested country. In cities even very well-off people can not afford bungalow type house. Most of our middle class stay in apartment blocks; a typical home has about 500 to 1000 ft2 area, and at least about 20+ houses in one apartment. Impossible place to do any worthwhile home chemistry.

In country side you can have good farm house for reasonable price but there access to chemicals and glassware is very difficult.

Due to several terrorist attacks in recent past the access to many chemicals is now being "watched". Also the law enforcement authorities - especially the Narcotics Bureau - is very paranoid about synthetic drugs.

However in the universities and the chemical industry the things have changed dramatically in last 20 years. The pharma industry which started with copying the generics and poorly protected drugs in '70s is now galloping and several home grown pharma companies are now having global presence.

In universities and in many progresive chemicals manufacturing companies lot of freedom is given to talented chemists to try-out their ideas at work place so probably they don't need to set-up a home lab.

And lastly this forum is in existence for almost a decade but I don''t think there are more than half-a -dozen active Indian members here.

gsd



KNO3me - 30-9-2011 at 23:53

Quote: Originally posted by jamit  
I live in the US and very few people know I have a home lab and I keep it that way because the US and all the other countries in the world frown upon anyone doing any serious chemistry "at home".



See, that shouldn’t be. Home chemistry shouldn’t be taboo. People need the freedom to explore. Free exploration will most likely lead to great innovations. Great innovations will lead to the advancement of mankind.

If God didn’t want man to explore chemistry He wouldn’t have created the precursors.

elpollodiablo - 18-10-2011 at 03:29

There is so much in our life that got under the wheels in the war on drugs and terrorism that home chemistry doesn't even come to mind - at first. But it's a very sad detail that a whole field in science has been made impotent to create an amateur momentum.