So I found "Beantown Chemical" which looks like they don't verify whether or not you're an actual qualified business. But, they say they only ship
to businesses.
Is it worth testing the waters with something rather inconspicuous like ordering DCM? I do have a friend with a business address but I don't really
want to bother him with that. I don't really want anybody knocking on my door asking questions though even though I'm not synthesizing illegal drugs.
Eventually I need to get my hands on acetic anhydride for making acetaminophen. It looks like Elemental Scientific will ship to amateur chemists, but it's good to have more than one source I suppose.
Thanks,
Thormonolithic - 20-8-2020 at 03:41
I'm not sure, but I know for a fact that they are a supplier to Chemsavers.com. If worst comes to worst you can probably order through Chemsavers,
either on their website or through a custom order.
[Edited on 8-20-2020 by monolithic]macckone - 20-8-2020 at 07:21
Elemental Scientific and Science Company are my go to.
They have decent selection but nothing like chemsavers.
Home Science Tools and Carolina are ok but both are limited.
Home Science Tools doesn't carry a full line and Carolina has a lot of stuff that is limited to schools and businesses.
Noone is coming to your house over a liter of isopropyl alcohol, and I mean noone.
Since it is in short supply it is perfectly reasonable to be trying to order it anywhere you can find it.macckone - 20-8-2020 at 07:27
PS. Checking if an address is residential is likely done on the backend. UPS and FedEx will tell them rather the address is residential or commercial
for shipping purposes. Since they are asking for business information and say they only ship to qualified businesses or labs, they may be looking up
the business as well. So it may complete your order on-line then you get a rejection and a refund.JJay - 20-8-2020 at 10:58
It's very easy to set up a business, but yes, it is easy to tell if an address is a business address or a residential address.
I have a business address with one of those virtual office providers (not in a business name, though), and they actually have a loading dock and a
small yard that can hold entire shipping containers.
Many (most?) small chemical suppliers can order chemicals for you for a fee, and they typically have common chemicals like DCM (but not acetic
anhydride) sitting on the shelves like books in a bookstore.thors.lab - 21-8-2020 at 14:12
Thanks everyone. I think I may do a trial run on Beantown then. Yes, they will probably check, but on the off chance that they don't...
Chemsavers was mentioned. Does chemsavers ship to individuals? I like Elemental but it seems everything is WAY overpriced (which is not unreasonable
considering they do ship to individuals afaik)
Either way, I do have a business address I can ship to but I would only send mundane things there because I don't want to screw over my friend in case
the DEA asks why he bought acetic anhydride lol.Mateo_swe - 21-8-2020 at 14:34
Acetic anhydride is one of the most watched chemicals.
I dont think they will send you some without asking what you are going to do with it, and a hobby experiment i dont think will be a good enough reason
for them to send it.
But im not familiar with procedures in the US, maybe it works just to order it.
I know it wouldnt work where i live.
It sometimes pops up on ebay but it seems they remove it after a week or 2.
My guess is that it isnt allowed to sell there and as soon someone informs ebay they remove the item.
Cant you make the acetaminophen with other chemicals or by another method?
There usually is several ways one can make something.monolithic - 21-8-2020 at 17:12
Chemsavers was mentioned. Does chemsavers ship to individuals?
Yes. For something like acetic anhydride they will likely ask for an intended use form. https://chemsavers.com/intended-use-form-1/ Also if it's something they resell they will charge you an additional shipping and handling fee. They
order from Beantown or another supplier who refuses to ship to residential/individual addresses, that supplier ships to Chemsavers, then Chemsavers
receives the package and ships to you.
[Edited on 8-22-2020 by monolithic]thors.lab - 21-8-2020 at 17:45
I have heard on this forum that Elemental is owned by somebody on this forum who regularly interacts with and ships to hobbyists. So perhaps they
would sell the acetic anhydride?
It's such a shame that acetic anhydride which has a whole ton of uses besides diamorphine manufacture is so watched.macckone - 21-8-2020 at 21:36
thors.lab,
Acetic Anhydride is listed on elemental.
He may still needs an id for that chemical because it is list 2, but below the reporting threshold I don't think it is required for list 2.
He may have an intended use form but I don't think that is required for list 2.
Experimental Manufacture of Acetaminophen is a reasonable use for a hobby chemist.
Since he sells to a lot of home school and hobby chemist, that is reasonable for his customer base.
Acetic Anhydride is also used for asprin which is a standard first year ochem reaction.Gru - 21-8-2020 at 23:04
If you are going to order from Elemental Scientific. You need to hurry. This post suggests that source is going away. Cou - 22-8-2020 at 23:14
You have to get a verified business account before you can order from them.
Beantown chemical didn't even reply to my request to open a business account when I put a residential address.
Chemsavers can reship from beantown chemical for a crazy shipping fee of $37. If you order more than one chemical from Chemsavers that's also on the
beantown chemical catalog, they can combine items in one box so that the $37 shipping cost only applies once.
The whole thing has me feeling angsty. How do chemical companies expect you to start a business if you can't accumulate the capital to lease an
industrial space? I wouldn't lease until the business is securely making an income. And why do they refuse to ship 1 gram of sodium chloride to an
amateur, meanwhile Dollar General and Home Depot sell multiple products that will kill someone if you put it in their drink?
[Edited on 8-23-2020 by Cou]Frankenshtein - 9-9-2020 at 17:24
Alfa Aesar requires business address or something only a business would have in order to set up the account for paying and ordering.
I just order through chemsavers or plan to make the thing.
Look for local chemical companies, although unlikely, you might live close enough to one to avoid shipping.
