Lab suppliers
It can be difficult to find chemicals, glassware, and other suppliers, because large chemical suppliers either refuse to sell to individuals for reasons of liability, or they overcharge on chemicals that can be found at a cheaper price.
An additional struggle is the cost and legality of shipping many chemicals overseas, as many popular internet stores are based in the United States.
This is a list of suppliers which sell to individuals. Editors are free to insert their reviews.
Contents
American Science and Surplus
American Science and Surplus, or AS&S, is a surplus supplier based in the US. Although they supply surplus, their inventory stays relatively constant, lasting at least 3 to 5 years for most items. They do not focus on chemistry, but are a good source for some cheap chemistry lab equipment, and microscope accessories.
Supplies Sold
- Inexpensive China Borosilicate glassware (beakers and Flasks)
- Lab stand hardware
- Lots of storage containers (Glasses and Plastics, bulk or not, and cheap)
- Reagent bottles
- Two distillation rigs
- 'Essential Oils' Distillation kit, ground glass
- Microscope Accessories
- Microbiology equipment - Agar and Petri dishes
- Inexpensive boxes of Kimax ampoules
- Cheap separatory funnels
Cynmar
Cynmar is a science supplier based in Illinois. They will ship to anywhere, but extra charges apply for shipping outside of the contiguous United States. Although they state on their website that they no longer sell to individuals, this is not true.
Supplies Sold
- Glassware (of various quality levels)
- Lab equipment
- Reagents
- Books
- Lab furniture
- Lab appliances
- Biology supplies
- Homebrewing/winemaking supplies
Reviews
I've bought most of my equipment from them. I'm quite happy with all of it. The only downside I've encountered is that shipping can be slow sometimes.
Duda Diesel
Duda Diesel is an Alabama based alternative energy company specializing in biodiesel. They sell a variety of industrial chemicals.
Supplies Sold
- Industrial Chemicals
- Bulk Industrial Chemicals
- Limited lab equipment.
Reviews
I bought a few pounds of sulfur from them a while ago. It shipped fairly fast and seems to be of good quality. -zts16
Elemental Scientific, LLC
Elemental Scientific is a science supplier based in Minnesota. They have one of the largest selections of lab supplies available to amateur chemists. One great thing about Elemental Scientific is that they interact directly with the amateur chemistry community. The owner is on the Sciencemadness Discussion Board as the user tomholm.
Supplies Sold
- Glassware
- Lab equipment
- A wide variety of chemicals
- Chemistry Sets
GalliumSource, LLC
GalliumSource is a California-based company which has received consistently positive reviews from YouTube, including NurdRage.
Supplies sold
GalliumSource sells metals and alloys, as well as some nonmetals and metalloids, and ships them internationally.
- Gallium
- Magnesium in numerous forms, including ingot, turnings, and ribbon
- Galinstan
- Sodium. Lots and lots of it.
- And even more strontium.
- Ferrocerium
- Arsenic
- Molybdenmum
- Cerium
- Tungsten
- Niobium
Reviews
Labstuff
Labstuff is a chemistry online store located in the Netherlands. They ship to the Netherlands and Belgium.
Supplies Sold
- Glassware
- Reagents
- Used lab equipment
- Books
- Sigma Aldrich reagents
- Carl Roth reagents
Reviews
Shipping can take a while. -Prof_genius
Metallium
Metallium is an online store for element collectors based in Massachusetts, founded in 2003 by Dave Hamric. He has supplied some materials to Theodore Gray (of Periodic Table Table fame).
Supplies sold
ALL of the stable elements, as either bulk form or stored in ampoules. They also sell element coins for collectors. This is one of the few sources of rare earth elements. Turnings and powders are available by request.
Reviews
Quick shipping and a very nice selection, but you may not get a quick response to your emails and calls. For a 5 gram sample of terbium metal I got about .75 grams extra. A REALLY good deal. Brain&Force (talk) 23:35, August 12, 2014 (UTC)
Onyxmet
Supplies sold
All stable elements, as well as uranium, thorium and americium. Many chemical compounds, both organic and inorganic, as well as solvents.
Reviews
Oxford ChemServe
Run by Sciencemadness's very own blogfast25, this company originates from the United Kingdom.
Supplies sold
Everything essential to the amateur chemist. Glassware, scales, and practical reagents are all available, as well as analytical and consultancy services.
Rotometals, Inc.
Rotometals has been around since 1939 and specializes in marine applications of non-ferrous metals.
Supplies sold
- Aluminium alloys
- Bismuth
- Gallium
- Gallium spoon molds (for practical jokes)
- Indium
- Lead
- Magnesium anodes
- Tin
- Zinc
United Nuclear
Supplies sold
Pretty much everything an amateur chemist would want, this is a selection of some of their more interesting and useful supplies:
- Uranium and its compounds, even ammonium diuranate
- Borated paraffin
- Giberellic acid
- Rocket nozzle mix
- Pre-mixed thermite
- Activated zinc sulfide
- Ferrofluid
- Metal strips (zinc, nickel, magnesium, copper, etc.)
- Radioactive ores
- Aerogel
- Spinthariscopes
- Radioactive sources
- Ultra-bright glow powder
- X-ray components
- Geiger counters
- Powerful magnets
- Death ray parts (Infrared lazer tubes, cooling system, and PSU)
Any somewhat interesting chemical, including anything radioactive or oxidising, is not available to be shipped anywhere but America. Many other chemicals, the site claims, can be requested personally, for a higher price. Due to the fact that the site is owned by Bob Lazar, a UFO theorist, the entire site cannot be taken seriously, though it is a wonderful source for all chemists.
US Pigment Corp.
US Pigment is a pottery supplier based in Illinois. They will ship to the United States and Canada. For each chemical, the minimum order quantity is one pound, except for various expensive materials such as europium oxide and silver nitrate.
Supplies Sold
- Various rare earth oxides
- Many transition metal oxides and carbonates
- Elemental tin, cadmium, and selenium
- Alkali and alkaline earth carbonates
- Tungsten and molybdenum compounds
- White and Red lead
Reviews
Shipping was really fast, ordered on a Friday came the following Monday. Some things are sold at a great price (CoCO3 for $20/pound) others are rather expensive considering the grade (NiCO3 $30/pound). -gdflp