Vertox - 19-8-2018 at 08:42
Hey guys, Im in croatia for 2 weeks (next to the sea if thats important) and I wanted to search some chemicals and stuff like that in nature. Do you
know any special/cool chemicals that you can find here?
Abromination - 19-8-2018 at 17:53
I think that that would be a great idea. Do some reasearch on local floura and U2U me. In Alaska, I have plenty of opportunities to do something
similar but still have not had the chance yet.
Vertox - 20-8-2018 at 00:39
Ok so, I did some research. When I google local floura I just get some flower shops and when I google U2U me I get gay porn...(not a joke)
I just realized that its a function on that forum haha
[Edited on 20-8-2018 by Vertox]
[Edited on 20-8-2018 by Vertox]
nitro-genes - 20-8-2018 at 07:43
If use of chlorophyll in similar reactions is really practical or efficient is another story, though the concept is really appealing IMO!
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.joc.6b03034
Sulaiman - 20-8-2018 at 08:01
I read that seaweed (especially the brown type) has recoverable quantities of iodine.
If this ia a rare trip to the sea then it may be worthwhile researching seaweed/kelp type before you go ?
Maybe seashells as a source of calcium carbonate ?
A litre of seawater for future reference or analysis ?
A bucket of sand for later cleaning to be used in a heating sand bath ?
A piece of driftwood to carve into a test tube stand or something ?
A collection of stones and rocks to later identify ?
Vertox - 20-8-2018 at 08:05
Extraciting iodide from seaweed sounds interesting. Gonna try that out.
CobaltChloride - 20-8-2018 at 09:17
You could use mindat.org to search for minerals in the area, but I doubt there is anything interesting near the sea.
On the other hand, I'm sure you can buy interesting reagents there which aren't easily available in your country, but transporting them might be a
hassle unless you go by train or by car and you live in another EU state.
Vertox - 20-8-2018 at 10:40
Thanks! I found out that you can find Barite(barium sulfate) here.
MrHomeScientist - 20-8-2018 at 10:58
I was going to suggest minerals, too. Minerals can be a good source of decently pure reagents, and if they're too pretty to grind up for science you
can still put them on display! I found some very nice barite crystals at Pelican Beach, California on a business trip a while back.
User Peach here on the forum tried iodine extraction from seaweed several years ago, and it's not an easy task. You need a LOT of
seaweed. Drying that much seaweed out in the sun doesn't smell great, either. I don't mean to discourage you, just make sure you research the process
and understand what you're getting into before you commit!
Seawater is a cool idea. I gathered some local seawater and ended up with lots of nice cubical salt crystals. My plan was to analyze the salt content
of the water, and find out what components it is made of. Not sure how I'm going to do that, but hey the crystals are nice looking 
Vertox - 20-8-2018 at 11:05
going to search some barite tomorrow. Do you know anything I can make with it?
MrHomeScientist - 20-8-2018 at 11:56
Barium sulfate is going to be very difficult to change into anything else; it's highly insoluble, and quite happy the way it is. It's so insoluble,
that even though barium is rather toxic they let you drink a suspension of it as a 'barium meal' in order to x-ray your digestive system. Trying to
'crack' the compound to make other ones is probably very difficult. But someone else may know more. Personally, I'd just keep the crystals!
fusso - 20-8-2018 at 14:06
If you originally live far away from any sea then collect a few buckets of sea water. Then dry the water into seasalt and probably separate the ionic
components into pure compounds.
Vertox - 20-8-2018 at 14:15
yeah I live far away from sea. I will do that.
WGTR - 20-8-2018 at 15:04
You can pick up seashells for the calcium carbonate. Get the whitest ones you can find.
[Edited on 8-20-2018 by WGTR]
DrP - 21-8-2018 at 03:09
Ok - Not chemistry as such (although there is chemistry in the way they are formed), but I think the coast there might be good for fossil hunting.
There were fossil lizards and fish found along 'the coast' but I don't know which specific areas have the right geology... might be worth
researching? Enjoy the trip.
Vertox - 22-8-2018 at 09:20
Thanks!