drstrangelove
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New kid on the block
Hi!
As of late i have been looking for something new to aspire towards making, and I thought that this might be the place to find out.
I am a high school student, and i have taken as much chemistry as is available to me (AP Chem/Regular chem)
Of my past experiments, (which are limited in number) my most notable would using Thermite to melt various parts of an old computer. (Magnesium is
ridiculously inconsistent, but it worked... eventually)
I have contemplated making Chloroform, but I haven't really gotten the motivation yet to sit down and do it (not that mixing two common chemicals is
that difficult). Regardless, I have been unsure of the purity of household bleach.
So it would be nice if someone could point me in the direction of what i should look into next.
Thanks in advance,
-drstrangelove
[edit] I probably should have noted that i have access to many chemicals, including KMnO4, CaC2, Glycerin, Mg, Fe2O3, Al, Al(NO3)3, and some other
random stuff, in addition to the common household stuff.
[Edited on 2-9-2007 by drstrangelove]
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woelen
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Have a look at this thread: https://sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=6664
Also, as you have access to quite a few chemicals, there might be some experiments on my website, you will definitely like:
http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/index.html
Two experiments I want to highlight. I see you have CaC2. Then you definitely should try these:
http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/cl2_c2h2/inde... (this you can certainly do, making Cl2 is easy enough)
http://woelen.scheikunde.net/science/chem/exps/silveracetyli... (nice if you have AgNO3 or silver + HNO3)
Be careful though with both these experiments, don't scale them up, the reactions are very violent already with the small amounts I used.
[Edited on 3-9-07 by woelen]
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drstrangelove
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Sweet, I'll definitely try those.
What would be the cheapest way of obtaining Silver Nitrate? My current plan would be to buy a silver coin and dissolve (some of) it with nitric acid.
Also, which brands of bleach lack additives these days? or would it be easier to buy some NaClO which is meant for pools?
Yet another question, is there an effective method for making Fe2O3? I've tried electrolysis in the past, but it was painfully slow and my power
supply continuously overheated, and eventually I just broke down and bought the stuff.
Thanks,
-drstrangelove
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woelen
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Fe2O3 is not worth making. It is so dirt cheap from pottery/ceramics suppliers that you will need more cost of other chemicals, electricity and other
materials. Also, all the effort you put in it...
Making chlorine can be done very nicely with dilute hydrochloric acid and swimming pool tablets, which contain calcium hypochlorite. Another even
better alternative is trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA), available as slow release organic chlorine tablets for swimming pools. It is somewhat more
expensive than calcium hypochlorite, but still quite affordable and gives purer Cl2. As a last resort you could buy NaClO for swimming pools. The
latter, however, is a last resort. It is much less concentrated and it has limited shelf life, much shorter than the TCCA and calcium hypochlorite.
Don't buy silver coins. Usually, silver coins contain quite some other metals alloyed with the silver. A good alternative is buying true silver
bullions from eBay. Buy .999 silver, or even .9999 silver. A 1 oz silver bullion can be obtained for a price of $10 to $15.
http://coins.search.ebay.com/silver-bullion_Bars-Rounds_W0QQ...
Especially the somewhat rounded rectangular ones usually are made of very pure silver.
You can also buy silver nitrate online, but if you want a USA-based source for that, which ships worldwide, then please U2U. Price is approximately $1
per gram, but at larger quantities, the price quickly drops ($175 per pound).
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Fleaker
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If you do decide to use sterling silver, keep in mind that once you dissolve it in nitric and recrystallize it from solution, you can heat it up to
red heat at which point the copper and other nitrates decompose. Let it cool, then dissolve, then filter out the CuO and NiO and then crystallize
again.
Neither flask nor beaker.
"Kid, you don't even know just what you don't know. "
--The Dark Lord Sauron
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drstrangelove
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Hmmm, looking at my current stock of HCl, I barely have any at all.
How is the purity of HCl sold at hardware stores under the name "muriatic acid"?
| Quote: |
If you want a USA-based source for that, which ships worldwide, then please U2U |
Does U2U stand for user to user? And how would one buy chemicals from others using it?
Also, where can one obtain HNO3 from?
-drstrangelove
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woelen
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Nitric acid, see other thread: https://sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=9092
U2U: look at your inbox, I sent a U2U message to you  .
Hardware-store HCl usually is not that pure, it frequently has a yellow/green color. This is due to iron-impurities, and sometimes certain dyes are
added. The HCl, however, can easily be distilled to make it more pure. Distilling of the 30% stuff then first gives off much HCl-gas, and then the
azeotrope of appr. 20% HCl will come over.
[Edited on 4-9-07 by woelen]
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YT2095
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| Quote: | Originally posted by drstrangelove
Hi!
As of late i have been looking for something new to aspire towards making
So it would be nice if someone could point me in the direction of what i should look into next.
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my personal favorites are Color chemistry and Esters (smells).
you really need anything TOO fancy to get started in this area either, most of the transition metal salts in varios oxidation states give great colors
and if you can your hands on a little bit Sulphuric acid, you can make most of the simple esters with relative ease.
the great part is that you stand no chance of loosing fingers (or worse) and the results are often quite remarkable from very simple things!
lets put it this way, I can make all the energetic material I want IF I wanted to, fact is I`m more interested in THIS side of chem 
\"In a world full of wonders mankind has managed to invent boredom\" - Death
Twinkies don\'t have a shelf life. They have a half-life! -Caine (a friend of mine)
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Jdurg
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I have always been interested in the chemistry that results in the creation of pure elements. Figuring out how to take the "ore" and turn it into the
elements it's composed of. Sometimes this is a pain in the arse to do, but the end result can be fun. I've always wanted to someday obtain a bunch
of uranium ore and extract the uranium, thorium, and radium out of there and isolate it. 
\"A real fart is beefy, has a density greater than or equal to the air surrounding it, consists of the unmistakable scent of broccoli, and usually
requires wiping afterwards.\"
http://maddox.xmission.com. |
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