Jor - 3-5-2009 at 15:34
I need some sodium chlorate. I once bought 50g of it, but I used up 20g of it. Quite a lot for making iodate from iodine, and also a few grams for
test-tube experiments. As it is a quite interesting chemical, and I want to use some to make NaClO4 (heating decomposes it to NaClO4 and NaCl afaik) I
intend to buy 100g more.
I have source in the UK (he used to be on ebay as b1dz) that sells many chemicals used in pyro. He also sells sodium chlorate.
However, after I read a post of vulture (old post) that someone in Belgium actually got raided because the customs intercepted a package from canada
containing KClO4, it got me quite worried.
Sodium chlorate is also an common pyro oxidiser.
Do customs actually check packages between EU countries?
Is there any risk? I haven't heard of anyone having problems buying from this ebay seller but still... My lab is more important than some sodium
chlorate...
I was also planning to buy some Mg powder (25 or 50g), but shipping that together with NaClO3 doesn't sound like a good idea.
kclo4 - 3-5-2009 at 16:14
Always could find a way to make it. I believe it can be made from commercial bleach, and also by electrolysis of a chloride. Bleach is probably the
easiest, while electrolysis could probably produce the most for the cheapest.
I doubt shipping is that big of a deal, but who am I to say?
[Edited on 4-5-2009 by kclo4]
UnintentionalChaos - 3-5-2009 at 20:03
There is a thread here (with results of mine and others) for making it out of calcium hypochlorite pool shock. It does not etch glass like bleach has
a nasty tendency to do. The yields are rather low for large run volume (at least with the product I can buy, which starts out @55% hypochlorite), but
there's no shipping risk and you're not looking for pounds of it.
garage chemist - 3-5-2009 at 22:11
Can you drive to France and buy it there?
It's still available pure, as an aqueous solution (600g/L) in 5 Liter canisters.
The solid chlorate is diluted with 60% NaCl and not worth buying.
I have two canisters of the solution. If 5 Liters is too much for you, consider a PM.
Sodium chlorate will be phased out entirely in France in august this year, so don't hesitate too long.
[Edited on 4-5-2009 by garage chemist]
Lambda-Eyde - 3-5-2009 at 22:19
http://www.keten.com.pl/reagents
I've never heard of anyone gotten their packages from Keten checked by the customs. He's a very imaginative guy when writing on the customs
declaration note... Classics include "organic pigments" and "paint products". 
Also, he's dirt cheap! 
Edit: I forgot to add - do NOT order aluminium or magnesium in the same order as NaClO3, he's not a good packer! 
Edit 2: Chlorate, not PERchlorate!
[Edited on 4-5-2009 by Lambda-Eyde]
[Edited on 4-5-2009 by Lambda-Eyde]
woelen - 4-5-2009 at 13:08
Jor, I have had quite a few parcels from foreign locations and two times it happened to me that the parcel was opened up and sealed again, and I
received a message that the parcel was checked by customs. One time, I had a deal where I received interesting compounds like RuCl3 and some other
special chemicals, and I also was offered some uranium compounds. Luckily I told it is better not to send those, because that time the parcel was
opened by customs. If they had found the uranium compounds then I think I would have had big trouble. The other materials were not problematic.
In another situation, I sent some capsaicin (active compound of pepper) to someone else and that parcel also was opened and sealed again. In this
case, there also was not a problem, the compounds in the parcel were not deemed illegal.
So, if I were you, I would be very careful with shipping NaClO3 from foreign locations. The UK is not that bad, because it is in the EU and then there
is much smaller chance of checking the parcel, but the chance is not equal to 0.
Jor - 4-5-2009 at 14:38
@kclo4 and Uni-Chaos: Yes I know these methods, and I can always do them when I can't find a safe source, but I rather buy it. Often, such simple
chems, I rather buy than make unless really neccesary.
GC, I indeed am not going to drive to France for a chem, that's 4 hours (so 8 hours hours including retour). I don't have my license after all... I
have exam may 14th
I could send you a PM, I assume it is because you could send me some, but doesn't that just introduce the same risk? Also a EU shipping.
Lambda, I know that source, and it looks to be really nice source, but I'm rather careful buying from Polen. If I would buy, I would really not buy
pyro common fuels and oxidisers! That's cheap sodium perchlorate by the way
Woelen, you were indeed doing the right thing by avoiding U-compounds! But wasn't that order from USA (i think I know from who you recieved it, it was
a gift AFAIK, from a member here )? I never buy from outside EU, but I am also
careful with buying from EU-countries. It was indeed a good advice to not buy the arsenic from HMS BEAGLE in USA !
I think I will just ask if my local supplier can sell me sodium chlorate, without having to report me. I have ordered many times there, he knows me,
and probably also knows and trust I don't make bombs and stuff (wich is absolutely the truth). I have seen that at Acros/Fisher I can get 250g very
pure NaClO3 for 15 EUR, wich is 'ok'.
woelen - 5-5-2009 at 05:58
Jor, it was not an order, it indeed was a gift from someone in the USA.
Yes, I think you can safely buy NaClO3 from the local supplier, I even think he does not need to report that purchase. You also had KBrO3 from him,
isn't it? Then if that is possible, I do not see any reason why NaClO3 is not possible.