metalresearcher
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This is mandatory stuff for (amateur) chemists (Safety)
I stumbled upon a parallel channel of NileRed, called NileBlue, of the same guy.
In this 30 min video he explains clearly about (home) lab safety and I watched it till the end.
Very useful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftACSEJ6DZA
Mods / woelen: can you make a sticky of this ?
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Tsjerk
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Very nice, and I understand that on YouTube this is something nice, with his 400K subscribers.
But do we really need this as a sticky?
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stoichiometric_steve
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NileReds success on YT aside, when you watch a lot of his videos, you'll notice that he himself isn't what i personally would consider a good example
of a safety oriented amateur chemist.
Even his general techniques are often very sloppy, culminating in his famously abysmal yields.
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Tsjerk
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He does pretend to be safety oriented... And yes, he indeed isn't a very good chemist.
Pffff, I really couldn't make it through the full 30 minutes, but I skipped through and literally everything he talks about I learned in high school.
[Edited on 27-9-2020 by Tsjerk]
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monolithic
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I feel the same way about his recent content. A good example is the most recent upload, almost 30 minute monologue about drying epsom salts. I
understand why he's doing it, a broader appeal to the everyman for more views/money, but it's also kind of sad when you compare it to his older
content.
I'm happy that NurdRage sticks to more in depth videos, and I wish chemplayer would make a return. 
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Tsjerk
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Haha, I saw the 30 minute epic epsom salt drying... starting with 4 kg and breaking a two liter three neck in the process, real smooth.
Also not very safe handling there, he first shows the flask cracking and then lifts the flask, which weighs a couple kilo's now, by the neck that
cracked...
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stoichiometric_steve
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Yeah or when he tries to refill the flask but instantly clogs up the funnel, real skills at work here, lol... couldn't watch for a second longer.
And he makes considerable amounts of money through Patreon, but then just monkeys around like he always does, that's really a new level of cringe.
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ArbuzToWoda
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I agree...
It's just a bit worrying to see his content now. I admire the complicated, but interesting projects like when he "went supercritical" or did some
organic synthesis (raspberry ketone, azo dyes, TCPO even) were actually worth waiting for. Now, after a month or two both the patreon and the
non-patreon gets a 27 minute video of guy just extracting stuff with dichloromethane. Like, okay, that is one of the most basic lab procedures. I have
a strange feeling that he went downhill after getting a lot of patreon support and didn't need to find stuff OTC and just got disinterested in the
things most amateur chemists drool while looking at. I really do hope he'll return to quality projects and these fuck-arounds are just a stepping
stone.
[Edited on 27-9-2020 by ArbuzToWoda]
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MidLifeChemist
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NileRed has a lot of great content, especially his older content. Imho he is successful because of his detailed explanations and quality video
production. He's making at least 10K USD a month in revenue from Youtube, sponsors and Patreon which is a big chunk of change.
As much as we want him to do more hard-core chemistry videos, those won't appeal to a general audience so I doubt he'll go back to them. I watched the
Epsom salts video, personally I wasn't a fan of it but we probably aren't his target audience anymore. I wish him the best as he has obviously worked
very hard to get where he is.
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Herr Haber
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The labspace and investment in hardware + salaries of people now apparently working with him probably cost quite a bit.
The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
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Fyndium
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I would love to see actual, detailed synthesis runs on real and more complicated substances where one would do all the magic tricks or real production
chemistry to get good yields of pure result.
But all the videos are about something that is entertaining on some aspect. It has to either blow up your kitchen or your mind to be interesting for
the more simple population. Long gone are the times when it was fancy idea to throw pieces of sodium into water, get Mg ribbon for thermite, and then
there were the energetics. Recrystallization is actually one of my favorites nowadays in the visual context.
But the beauty of safety is it's simplicity. The basics are learnt on elemental school and they carry on through the profession.
[Edited on 27-9-2020 by Fyndium]
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phlogiston
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I don't think we should be bashing his video's here. He's doing amateur chemistry, and that's great. There are not that many of us. If the content
doesn't appeal to you... well, nobody is forcing you to watch it..
I don't think the video on safety is worth a sticky. It's not bad, but it's pretty basic. Compare it to the other stickied topics. Stickies should be
reserved for truly exceptional threads IMHO.
[Edited on 28-9-2020 by phlogiston]
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"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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NaK
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It's the same thing that happened to The King Of Random, CollegeHumor or pretty much any other youtuber who grew their channel large enough. You can't
expand at the same rate without compromising quality significantly as well, just look at McDonalds. That being said, things like the ferrofluid where
quite interesting and actually the first time someone has documented the process in that detail. I think he just realized how much money he left on
the table when making real chemistry videos.
[Edited on 28-9-2020 by NaK]
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Tsjerk
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Quote: Originally posted by NaK  | That being said, things like the ferrofluid where quite interesting and actually the first time someone has documented the process in that detail.
[Edited on 28-9-2020 by NaK] |
On YT you mean I assume.
Attachment: elmore1938.pdf (153kB)
This file has been downloaded 422 times
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Cou
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On the topic of Nile Red not being a good chemist, he used to make good videos, but now is pandering to the lowest common denominator. The most recent
video is elementary school science. Just heating up magnesium sulfate heptahydrate and removing the water.
I like organic chemistry, but I don't think I'm a very good chemist. I like exploring what already exists. simple organic reactions are very
gratifying to me. but I'm not so good at coming up with novel things. The thing is, even simple organic reactions are scarce on youtube. No one wants
to watch a clear colorless liquid turn into another clear colorless liquid.
[Edited on 9-28-2020 by Cou]
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karlos³
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Don't think that of me either, leave that to others to judge.
And never believe them!
Otherwise you'll end up like him 
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Deathunter88
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Hold up, are we watching the same guy? The video before the drying epsom salt video was on making high temperature YBCO superconductors and two videos
before that was making the best quality amateur aerogel I've seen. Find me another youtuber who can claim to have done the same, in a manner
accessible to the public. I don't know about you but having a few "filler" videos with less advanced concepts for public viewing in between the more
ambitious projects is totally fine, considering the Youtube algorithm and such. And his filler videos aren't thigns like "what will happen if I drop
sodium into gasoline will it blow up". I honestly haven't seen much real chemistry being posted on this forum from some of you bashing his channel. I
get a feeling that many of you are jelous of his success, which shouldn't be. After all, anyone promoting our hobby in a responsible manner is a good
thing, even if it gets a little cringe at times.
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teodor
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Not being a fan of some popular youtuber and being jealous is not the same.
The question is not how good is NileRed but is something valuable in his video about safety. Also a lot of people me including probably think that
written rules (as a text) are more appropriate for the forum like this. Doing and consuming video is completely different format which doesn't allow
analyze any particular rule but suggests accepting or not accepting the whole work also with connection with the person who present it as a piece of
art. And presenter in this case just shows some well-known rules.
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valeg96
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I personally cringed more than I should have when I saw his video "My chromyl chloride cleanup was a disaster". I don't even know how you can can make
such a mess and break everything, yet he always manages to break stuff and spill chemicals around. He's a nice guy and is very good at making videos,
but man is he sloppy and messy.
Edit: I also cringe when he throws stuff around to be funny. I can understand he probably does that to be entertaining, as his fanbase is not what it
used to be anymore. I don't enjoy his videos like I used to.
[Edited on 12-10-2020 by valeg96]
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Cou
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NN9IUvrKi4
METHYL SALICYLATE IS NOT "MINT FLAVOR" YOU SIMPLETON! Why not call it "Root beer" flavor? Because methyl salicylate smells more like root beer than
anything, but definitely not mint.
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B(a)P
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Isn't it commonly used as a mint flavouring in chewing gum ect? Or is it just that it is typically used in association with mint flavourings?
To be fair he does actually taste some, so it seems to me he is well placed to make the call on its flavour.
I am a long way from trusting my chemistry enough to ingest anything I produce ha ha ha ha. Not that I ever work with anything that anyone would
consider edible.
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