Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Obtaining chemicals in the Netherlands

Obtaining chemicals in the Netherlands

prof_genius - 2-7-2013 at 10:07

I was wondering if anyone knows any good places to get reagents and lab supplies/equipment in the Netherlands. I couldn't find many chemical sources here so if you know some please tell me. The only source I really know is labstuff.

Tsjerk - 2-7-2013 at 10:47

Get a KvK number, then everybody will sell you anything... As long as you make it to crazy.

Edit: Just don't lie, and don't do anything illegal.

Edit2: If you are in close to Leiden, there is a pharmacy which has a a lot of inorganics, he isn't very cheap, but he has a large assortment. And he is a nice guy who wants to help you if you have the right attitude. He also sells stuff like concentrated acids and such.

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

prof_genius - 2-7-2013 at 10:58

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk

Get a KvK number, then everybody will sell you anything... As long as you make it to crazy.

Edit: Just don't lie, and don't do anything illegal.

Edit2: If you are in close to Leiden, there is a pharmacy which has a a lot of inorganics, he isn't very cheap, but he has a large assortment. And he is a nice guy who wants to help you if you have the right attitude. He also sells stuff like concentrated acids and such.

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

How do I get a KvK nr? And can I get it without being a Dutch citizen? (Could you send me the pharmacy address, I happen to live close to leiden.

)

DutchChemistryBox - 2-7-2013 at 11:15

Quote: Originally posted by prof_genius

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk

How do I get a KvK nr? And can I get it without being a Dutch citizen? (Could you send me the pharmacy address, I happen to live close to leiden.

)

You can get one by the Kamer van koophandel, but you have to start a business to get one iirc.

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by DutchChemistryBox]

prof_genius - 2-7-2013 at 11:21

Thanks for the help. Could you name that pharmacy?

Tsjerk - 2-7-2013 at 11:37

Drogisterij Bik

prof_genius - 2-7-2013 at 11:41

Thank you for helping

I think this is the final component to my lab

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by prof_genius]

Tsjerk - 2-7-2013 at 11:54

But for a KvK number you don't have to start a busniss. I find it hard to explain in English as all the "terms" I know are dutch, but lets try.

First, it is free (maybe 60-80 euros to start, but from that moment, free). Second, you can just say you want to be "reliable", companies only sell to persons that are registered because from that moment on, they are not to be accounted for. This reliability of yours can be for a company, to resell stuff, or not to do anything with at all. For the first you need a company, which you don't have, for the second you need permits, which you don't have, but to use for yourself, you don't need anything. As long as it isn't illegal what you're doing it's fine.

I think you can see it as a higher form of identification, from the moment you have that, nobody asks you anything anymore, as they know they have somebody else to blame if things go bad. You don't have to be Dutch to get one, but it may be easier if you are from the European Union, I don't know anything about getting a KvK number if you are not from the EU

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

prof_genius - 2-7-2013 at 12:01

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk

But for a KvK number you don't have to start a busniss. I find it hard to explain in English as all the "terms" I know are dutch, but lets try.

First, it is free (maybe 60-80 euros to start, but from that moment, free). Second, you can just say you want to be "reliable", companies only sell to persons that are registered because from that moment on, they are not to be accounted for. This reliability of yours can be for a company, to resell stuff, or not to do anything with at all. For the first you need a company, which you don't have, for the second you need permits, which you don't have, but to use for yourself, you don't need anything. As long as it isn't illegal what you're doing it's fine.

I think you can see it as a higher form of identification, from the moment you have that, nobody asks you anything anymore, as they know they have somebody else to blame if things go bad. You don't have to be Dutch to get one, but it may be easier if you are from the European Union, I don't know anything about getting a KvK number if you are not from the EU

[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Tsjerk]

I am Polish. So do I just have to fill in some forms and done. Also do I need a special address?

Tsjerk - 2-7-2013 at 12:53

It's a bit more than filling in a couple of forms, but just google Kamer van Koophandel with the city you live closest to and check the information on their site.

Don't think to difficult

DutchChemistryBox - 2-7-2013 at 13:11

It is not really necessary to have KvK number to get reagents and lab supplies/equipment.

There are some webshops which will send chemicals to individuals.
For example http://labstuff.nl/, http://www.hinmeijer.nl/ and http://www.reymerink.nl/.

Some simple acids/bases can be found in local D.I.Y.shops, like sulfuric acid as liquid drain cleaner and sodium hydroxide as solid drain cleaner. If you look closer at some cleaning products you'll find really useful chemicals, a lot of acids like phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid.
You can also find common solvents, like ethanol sold as fuel for an alcohol burner or aceton in a paint shop.

I've heard that you can buy a lot of salts at ceramic shops, but I don't have experience with that.

I hope you can do something with this information.

phlogiston - 2-7-2013 at 14:01

The ceramics store tip knocks like a bus

But also check out stores for brewing, farming, painting, car repairs, gardening, pool maintenance, mineral collecting, etc. etc. Many interesting chemicals have more or less ordinary uses.

Good old-fashioned drug stores like the one in Leiden are rare but they exist. There are a few more still (in Utrecht, Haarlem and there used to be one in Delft but I don't know if it still exists. U2U me if you need names. I don't want them to dissapear from the earthbottom

prof_genius - 3-7-2013 at 00:47

thanks
I actually want to buy from places like sigma and fisher so I want a KvK nr.

woelen - 3-7-2013 at 10:02

If you want to do chemistry as an amateur then I don't think you need a KvK number. There are initial costs associated to obtaining such a number. Too much of a hassle and too much paperwork.

I have good experience with Labstuff and Hinmeijer. Labstuff ships most chemicals with standard postal service (PostNL), except concentrated strong acids, certain oxidizers, very flammable solvents (e.g. diethyl ether) and stuff like Br2. You can pick-up chemicals which are not shipped by Labstuff. Hinmeijer uses a special courier service and then you can get any chemical shipped to your door for very reasonable prices.

I also have good experiences with ceramics and pottery shops, such as www.keramikos.nl , www.creavisie.com and www.silex.nl . These shops have many metal salts, oxides and carbonates. With suitable acids you can make many other chemicals from these.

If you live near Groningen, then you can visit "De Spaanse Vlieg", which sells many basic chemicals, e.g. 96% H2SO4 at high purity, 53% HNO3, 30% H2O2, diethyl ether, acetone, MEK, Na2S2O5, Na2SO4, Na2SO3, Na2S2O3 and many more.

Actually, the Netherlands is one of the countries, which still has many options for obtaining chemicals, even special stuff like hydrazine hydrate, acetyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, all kinds of amines, phosphorus, chlorinated solvents and of course all of the more common stuff. The only reagents which are really hard to obtain in the Netherlands are uranium salts, thorium salts, some CWC-precursors (e.g. PCl5, PCl3, SOCl2) and compounds of arsenic and thallium.

If you want to do chemistry at a professional level, then of course you should start a company, make a good business plan and open accounts at companies like Sigma, Aldrich, Carl Roth. The companies I mentioned above are really good for amateurs (not exceptionally expensive, e.g. Labstuff takes the same price as his supplier plus 1 euro extra for own profit, which is very reasonable), but if it becomes your business, then you can of course go to the big houses.

[Edited on 3-7-13 by woelen]

prof_genius - 3-7-2013 at 10:26

Thanks for the help Woelen

prof_genius - 21-7-2013 at 05:33

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk

It's a bit more than filling in a couple of forms, but just google Kamer van Koophandel with the city you live closest to and check the information on their site.

Could you please make a list of the steps to getting a KVK nr.
(I believe the one closest to me is The Hague)

[Edited on 21-7-2013 by prof_genius]

ZeroHour - 13-8-2013 at 10:14

This might not be completely on topic, but where do you recommend to buy lab stands in the Netherlands?
Only seller I know of is labstuff, and they don't ship them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

janmi - 10-10-2013 at 02:15

Hi Prof Genius,

This is janmi from pi chemicals. Glad to know that you need reagent supply, and there is something we can help. We are specialized in offering chemical reagents for R&D. If you need any chemicals or reagents, please feel free to contact us, by u2u or my email: janmi.zhang@pipharm.com.
Here I write the steps for you that how to buy the reagent.
1. Send us the information and the quantity about the chemical that you want, like CAS No. , the chemical name, or the structure.( This is to let us know what and how much you need)
2. Later, we will give you our quotation, include price, purity and delivery date.
3. You accept our quotation, and pay for it. ( If not, please tell us your questions or concerns)
4. If the reagent is a normal chemical, it will be generally sent to you in 5 days. If the reagent is a rare chemical, we need some weeks to custom synthesize it.

[Edited on 10-10-2013 by janmi]

prof_genius - 10-10-2013 at 07:28

thanks, do you have a catalog?

Mailinmypocket - 10-10-2013 at 07:51

pipharm.com doesn't work for me. Damn first post "I can get you anything" suppliers.

I've come too close to being badly scammed by Ephisian

No offense to the good people who have/can been able to sell things in a reasonable and friendly way on this forum, just saying. If it sounds too good to be true...

[Edited on 10-10-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

woelen - 10-10-2013 at 10:52

For me it is the same, www.pipharm.com does not work...

Besides that, if janmi is in some far east country, then forget about it. Ordering chemicals from such companies is asking for trouble. Customs are much more picky on stuff from those countries than on stuff from European countries outside the EU or the USA.

dannyserf - 10-10-2013 at 18:33

I seen others above post that you can purchase chemicals from labstuff and hinmeijer websites located in the netherlands, the thing is I live in the US. would it be unwise to order chemicals from there and have them shipped to me in the states? If so what other options would I have here in the states on obtaining chemicals without raising suspicion. thanks greatly appreciated

janmi - 10-10-2013 at 19:21

Quote: Originally posted by prof_genius

thanks, do you have a catalog?

Yes, we have. And our catalog is PDF. Due to forum limitation, The pdf can't been sent you here. Could you please give me your email address? Then i can send it to you.

janmi - 10-10-2013 at 19:45

Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket

pipharm.com doesn't work for me. Damn first post "I can get you anything" suppliers.

I've come too close to being badly scammed by Ephisian

No offense to the good people who have/can been able to sell things in a reasonable and friendly way on this forum, just saying. If it sounds too good to be true...

[Edited on 10-10-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

Sorry, for the inconvenience. Please try it again, it works now.

I understand your annoyance that you had met. If you like, you can try buy the reagents from us. My company work in the field of lab reagents for more than 6 years (you can see that from the other post that i just replied http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=8158). We would love to keep good and long relationship for the PhDs or researchers, and this is what we are always doing.

[Edited on 11-10-2013 by janmi]

woelen - 10-10-2013 at 23:13

Quote: Originally posted by dannyserf

I seen others above post that you can purchase chemicals from labstuff and hinmeijer websites located in the netherlands, the thing is I live in the US. would it be unwise to order chemicals from there and have them shipped to me in the states? If so what other options would I have here in the states on obtaining chemicals without raising suspicion. thanks greatly appreciated

Labstuff hardly ships any chemicals to the USA, maybe some innocuous stuff like sodium sulfate, potassium bromide and that kind of things, but liquids, corrosives, oxidizers, flammables etc. are not shipped.
Hinmeijer has more options of shipping chemicals, but that can be very expensive. I think it is not worthwhile shipping chemicals from the Netherlands to the USA, except maybe some stuff which can be sent with normal parcel post. The USA has many sellers locally, why bother with suppliers in the Netherlands?

janmi - 11-10-2013 at 00:29

Quote: Originally posted by woelen

For me it is the same, www.pipharm.com does not work...

Besides that, if janmi is in some far east country, then forget about it. Ordering chemicals from such companies is asking for trouble. Customs are much more picky on stuff from those countries than on stuff from European countries outside the EU or the USA.

Woelen, thank you for your reply. I agree that it has some troubles in some special situations. But we can avoid these situations. If the chemicals (not dangerous chemicals, no UN#) are delivered by DHL or FedEx, it is no problems definitely. But DHL and FedEX don't delivery dangerous chemicals ( have UN#), we need other shippments to develiry dangerous chemicals. If the quantity of the dangerous chemicals is under 3kg, it can be delivered by EMS, it is no problems. But if the quantity of dangerous chemicals is above 3kg, and only in this situation, it may has a little troubles, it may need your support to customs.

janmi - 11-10-2013 at 00:45

Quote: Originally posted by dannyserf

Hi, danny

labstuff and hinmeijer are good suppliers of reagents. But our product and service are also good. US, Canada, Netherland, Germany and Australia are our main market. We are experienced in offering reagents to US. Please kindly think about our company. If you have any questions, please just contact me. My email: janmi.zhang@pipharm.com

prof_genius - 20-5-2014 at 11:04

After searching, I found that Poland is a much better place to get chemicals because many chemical suppliers have retail stores.

prof_genius - 21-5-2014 at 12:24

Quote: Originally posted by Tsjerk

Drogisterij Bik

I went there a while back, it was a nice place but I can't speak Dutch so communicating was hard.

woelen - 21-5-2014 at 12:53

They have a decent selection of chemicals, but I think their prices are very high. On eBay you can find the same chemicals for a fraction of the price (e.g. iodine 100 grams for EUR 132, while on eBay you can find this for EUR 25 or so, 1 kg boric acid for EUR 33 while on eBay this can be had for EUR 8 or so). Similar differences exist for other chemicals.