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Secret Santa

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

D Maybe even someone to visit while you are on the road. Who knows what is possible? [Edited on 9-10-2021 by j_sum1]

Semi secret santa

Signed up!
I had in mind it stops at the 23rd not 25th

I would prefer someone in europe if possible.
But I'll checked the worldwide box anyways.

[Edited on 22-10-2021 by karlos³]

Secret Santa 2021

Quote: Originally posted by DraconicAcid

I think my Secret Santa present just arrived. That was fast. I guess I'd better get to shopping at some point. Merci, Santa, er, Pere Noel! My mistake- this is something else that I forgot that I was expecting. Carry on..... [Edited on 4-11-2021 by DraconicAcid]

Its so exciting!
Can you imagine the rush I felt reading your post?
I also wanted to be early on, this week but this was a bit shocking

Also, again thank you very much for your suggestions, that was highly refined Au :-*

Secret Santa Recipient

Package on its way to my Secret Santa recipient as of
today, 3:37 PM EST. 1st class and I found the shipping,
to my surprise, to be VERY reasonable. Hopefully,
COVID-19 and shipping delays don't cause problems.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

I already received my Secret Santa present Thanks for the very fast preparation and shipping!
I now have something to do

Besides other things, tt contains a nice puzzle: actual chemicals, whose composition is unknown to me, and which I may determine. (fortunately the accompanying note mentions that these are not azides, cyanides, radioactive materials or illegal precursors).

I also am waiting for an order, which I need to make a nice present for . . .

As of a few hours ago, the package has been sent!

I had good progression with my Santa puzzle, the red and yellow ones I have determined with great certainty, without opening the sealed cheat sheets. The white one still keeps me puzzled (and puzzling )

[Edited on 13-11-21 by woelen]

Delivered

Tracking indicates that my Secret Santa recipient received the
gift this morning. 2 weeks from purchase to delivery. Excellent
considering the distance it had to travel.

[Edited on 2021/11/17 by MadHatter]

Quote: Originally posted by MadHatter

Tracking indicates that my Secret Santa recipient received the gift this morning [Edited on 2021/11/17 by MadHatter]

Oh it was morning allright ! Almost carried my pillow to the door
I was expecting metal bars from Russia so I wasnt surprised by the shape but by the weight.

My other eye opened and my mouth widened when I saw the actual content. Definitely not metal !
Thank you Santa ! It's a beautiful Davies condenser that will most definitely be used. Should I share a photo so soon in the season ?

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber

Should I share a photo so soon in the season ?

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber

Thank you Santa ! It's a beautiful Davies condenser that will most definitely be used. Should I share a photo so soon in the season ?

You still have to identify last year's mystery chemical... Or did you manage?

Quote: Originally posted by woelen

I already received my Secret Santa present (fortunately the accompanying note mentions that these are not azides, cyanides, radioactive materials or illegal precursors).

I solved the puzzle from my secret santa!

Here you can see the solution I found, without opening the cheat sheets:



I liked this puzzle. The white powder took me quite some time to find. I quickly had found out that it is a lead-compound, but finding the anion took much more effort.




After I made the pictures, I opened the cheat sheets. All of them are correct! The only thing is that I did not determine the hydration state of the sodium nitroprusside and I expected the lead arsenate to be Pb3(AsO4)2 instead of PbHAsO4.



____________________________________________________

Edit(woelen): There seems to be something wrong with the forum software. On my PC the pictures are correctly upright, but in the preview they are bottom-up. If you click the pictures, then the full-size picture is displayed correctly.




[Edited on 27-11-21 by woelen]

Dr. Bob's Stocking Stuffers

Dr. Bob, thank you very much for the stocking stuffers. A relative
is looking at the 1 ml syringes. She is an insulin dependent diabetic.
Only thing is that the USPS apparently didn't handle this with a lot
of care. The 250 ml Kimax Erlenmeyer flask is in pieces. It seems
this time of the year they handle packages like they're handling a
football.
LOVE THAT LARGE REAGENT BOTTLE !!! That'll come in
handy. The test tubes and pipettes are great also.

Still looking for humorous cards from Maine. I'll find something. I'm
hoping it's as funny as last year's "bear treat" cards. Don't laugh.
The bears came into the yard this last summer. Paw prints all over
the place. Looking for that smorgasbord I guess.

Thanks Again !

Quote: Originally posted by woelen

I'll make a write-up in a separate thread, tell something about the system I used to narrow down the set of remaining options and tell about some interesting reactions of these compounds, which I used to verify my hypothesis. I of course was limited by available reagents, so the methods I used may not be the most efficient ones. [Edited on 30-11-21 by woelen]

Well, in five days its sinter glass, but I think the dutch spell glass like "klaas".
I don't know what the black dude got to do with it though(I think his name is peter), its totally confusing to me they celebrate glass frits and not saint niklas on that day

[Edited on 1-12-2021 by karlos³]

The word "klaas" comes from the name of Saint Niklas. In Dutch this is Sint Nicolaas, and Sint Nicolaas, if pronounced quickly, sounds like "Sint 'n klaas". From this, the word " sinterklaas" is formed.

The black guy is black, because he goes throughg a chimney, and soot from the chimney makes him black. In Dutch this person is called " Zwarte Piet", which can be translated as "Black Peter". Since a few years, there is some controversy about Zwarte Piet, because some people consider his presence a mockery of black people. In some places, hence, Sinterklaas is not celebrated anymore with Black Peter, but with e.g. Rainbow Peter or other colored persons. The festival now slowly transforms/evolves due to this kind of concerns. But the evening of the 5th of December will remain the time of the year when people give presents to each other and make funny surprises and poems for each other. Giving presents on Christmas Eve is done by some people in the Netherlands, but I think that the majority celebrates the 5th of December and Christmas then is a religious thing, or just a nice and pleasant family thing, being together.

I take all three aspects : presents with Sinterklaas, celebrating the birth of Christ with Christmas and being together with friends and family and doing nice things together with Christmas as well
*unfortunately corona makes the latter thing quite difficult, with everything shut down and limitations on the number of people who may be together*

My dear DraconicAcid
I got it, but I thought it was just too obvious

Its like I've seen the same joke in the summer on here!
Or elsewhere, no idea.
But I have not seen it for the first time, I still laughed, be assured

I attached a picture of the zwarte piet from the seventies, all funky and stuff, driving st. niklas to the sinterklaas festivities probably.



E2: woelen, even more lovely I received it in time, you could have easily waited three weeks longer for me last year
I actually did not knew you exchange the majority of presents (E3: I wrote prisons instead of presents, don't ask what was going through my mind) that early!
I thought we would be early, doing it on the 24th, from the american perspective.
But thats just a day.

[Edited on 2-12-2021 by karlos³]

[Edited on 2-12-2021 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

I have it on good authority... Source of Syn the Sizer's Science Socks is Secret Santa.

If I ever hit up for anyone from north america, I will order something to them from inside the country

But most important is, that I hope my receipee is happy about his presents
Genuinely from my country!

j_sum please do not ever put me to an US-american, just give me a canadian instead(it just costs rounded 18€ instead of 38€.....) thank you very much

I am not complaining at all, its my own fault, I know what I put into my application

But damn, interatlantic postage became so fucking expensive, thats not normal!
I sent parcels to US-america for less than ten bucks just ten years ago???(I believe).
I even send a letter with stuff in it to canada for just 3,50€(only thanks to the postal ladies, of whom 3/5 always get flirtatious with me... might contributed to the fact? Syn! confirm! ).

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

I even send a letter with stuff in it to canada for just 3,50€(only thanks to the postal ladies, of whom 3/5 always get flirtatious with me... might contributed to the fact? Syn! confirm! ).

Quote: Originally posted by Syn the Sizer

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³   I even send a letter with stuff in it to canada for just 3,50€(only thanks to the postal ladies, of whom 3/5 always get flirtatious with me... might contributed to the fact? Syn! confirm! ). Absolutely, the package was received in good time too.

Thank you

Oh man, why did interatlantic postage became so expensive?

Is it the same for interpacific postage?
I would guess so.
Never send anything to the land of Oz.

Man, canada is cooler that the states.
Everyone knows that, but at the post office it becomes truth written in numbers

[Edited on 4-12-2021 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

Man, canada is cooler that the states. Everyone knows that, but at the post office it becomes truth written in numbers [Edited on 4-12-2021 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by Syn the Sizer

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³   Man, canada is cooler that the states. Everyone knows that, but at the post office it becomes truth written in numbers [Edited on 4-12-2021 by karlos³] Canada thanks you for your kind words, lol.

Reminds me of the south park episode(or was it the move?) where they wajt to sing a kind and peaful anthem... and then start to sing the canadian anthem

No jk 9/10 off the canadians I know are totally chill and cool
10/10 of those I call friends.

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

I am not complaining at all, its my own fault, I know what I put into my application But damn, interatlantic postage became so fucking expensive, thats not normal! I sent parcels to US-america for less than ten bucks just ten years ago???(I believe).

Same here. Parcel was ready a long time ago but I went back home with it when I was told it was 60 or 120 Eu for 2 kg.
No budget service anymore, only premium. What good is the regular post if it's the same price as UPS or FedEx ?
Package is on the way now and should arrive next week.

Another hint for the customs declaration: mark as gift with 1$ value otherwise your recipient may end up paying taxes. In my case, as much as the sender fee :-/

Still... it was all worth it and I'm quite happy with myself. I've personnalized the gift as much as I could but with a little bit more anticipation it could have been even funnier.

Dear Santa recipient, I'll explain after you get the parcel !

Upon further research, they resemble vanadium crystals in shape, but no pretty oxide colours. I will resize the crappy photos I have and upload them. My phone camera sucks now, maybe dropped a few too many times.



[Edited on 21-12-2021 by Syn the Sizer]

I received mine, and mine received his just in time, very shortly ago I see

All is well.

I can't fucking wait to see what I got!

@Syn, you marked the box for mystery chemical or what?

[Edited on 21-12-2021 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by karlos³

@Syn, you marked the box for mystery chemical or what? [Edited on 21-12-2021 by karlos³]

Quote: Originally posted by DraconicAcid

Pretty, pretty crystals. It wasn't labelled anywhere at all? [Edited on 21-12-2021 by DraconicAcid]

Quote: Originally posted by Syn the Sizer

You are waiting until Christmas, Good man.

I always behave (pffft... I spew water everywhere because I had to laugh ).

By the way, I paid more or less the same for receiving mine as I paid for sending mine off

We need to figure some universal guidelines out for transcontinental shipping, to make it less costly.
Those are recent changes (I sent stuff to the states much cheaper years ago!) and we need to adapt, otherwise it would have a deterring effect on future SM-SS.

Innereuropean, and possibly inneramerican, it is likely much cheaper(yeah, in-oz/in-oceanical, too, did not want to exclude you guys ).
We need guidelines to keep the tax/financial effect on both sender and receiver as small as possible, and potential custom issues as low as possible, too.

The postal system should have gotten much cheaper, with all the extra business they got over the last two years, but instead....
Nah I do not want to vent.

I just wanted to initiate a fruitful discussion about how to keep the expenses, which do not benefit the recipient, as low as possible.
That would be good for us all.
As actually, I am a bit deterred myself from the cost of transatlantic shipping, damn!
Five years ago that would have cost a fifth of that, at most!

But I would like to continue the transcontinental shipping, and not by the relatively lame "ordering from the recipients location", but by sending something truly local
Like, who got the kangaroo jerky once?
Thats what this is all about, for me.

I really could not believe the price at the post office.
Same after receiving

We need to figure some guidelines out by the help of our competent transcontinental shipping members, which will help to keep the unneccesary expenses to a minimum or eliminate them completely.
There are sufficient tricks to do this, but we should collect them.

Just my opinion on that.
What do you guys think?
A few general points, put together?
We do not want to end up with three separate SS-circles, american, european, oceanica, and it would be important to allow those who are for example studying, to participitate without being restricted to their continent.
If that trend continues.
Lets not forget they are overwhelmed with postage currently, and that the proper way to save money is simply to fill out the form in the proper manner.


Man, I can not believe how insanely expensive transcontinental shipping has become, this simply puzzles me

The kangaroo jerky would have been me

This last (disastrous) trip to Mexico screwed me up in getting mine out but I've let them know I'll ship on the first.

[Edited on 12-22-2021 by arkoma]

Quote: Originally posted by Syn the Sizer

Interesting, Kangaroo Jerky, I have always been curious of kangaroo.

Shipping

I guess I got lucky. I shipped to my Secret Santa recipient 1st class USPS.
From Maine to Europe was $24.50. I don't consider this expensive for less
than 2 LBS. But a post I've seen here is showing 30+ euro for the
opposite direction ? Always a greedy asshole somewhere !

I hope it works out for everyone.

Quote: Originally posted by MadHatter

I guess I got lucky. I shipped to my Secret Santa recipient 1st class USPS. From Maine to Europe was $24.50. I don't consider this expensive for less than 2 LBS. But a post I've seen here is showing 30+ euro for the opposite direction ? Always a greedy asshole somewhere ! I hope it works out for everyone.

Well, actually the post office lady in my case was very clueless and easily could have looked that up before, and I could repack it a bit differently and could have saved more than half the shipping costs, I found out.
Mine definitely was above these measures, so it got into the higher price class which was .... ~37€.
But it was also above 2kg's.
Which could also have prevented.
I used DHL, but I guess it was the right choice for being on time still.

But could you specify who you mean with the greedy asshole?
The postal service, or me, or what do meant with this?
"Showed" as in, I put that on the shipping papers? Of course not then!
I did not put any burden for anything on the receiver.
I paid it, and only grinded my teeth a little doing so, but not because of greed, but because, well, studying.
If I came over as greedy for that reaction then I'm sorry.
Or what did you mean?

Doesn't matter, it got there in time and I just wanted to express my absolute failure to understand(failure to look it up and failure of said post lady, somewhat) how there is no smaller or cheaper parcel size to the states.
Yeah.
But that was not true, I don't know why I believed that woman, but yeah it was lazyness probably.
Before sending not to look it up, and after, for not checking what I've been told.
Not proud on it actually.

The next smallest price class is similar to that from USPS though, even cheaper, up to 2kg, min. 15 x 11 x 1 cm, maximum length + width + depth = 90cm
Damn... and this would have been only 16€.
According to them online.
And, mhm, could this have sufficed, by weight, yeah, maybe, volume, mhmm...
The post office lady though claimed something different... well, well.
Even mixed something up.
There even is a smaller size, but maximum height at one side 3cm, less than 9€.
And she gave me these measures and claimed the 16€'s?
I already said this would not have happened with "my" postal ladies, oh no, they would have sent me back home, likely would have eagerly provided me with an empty parcel of appropriate size too.

But well, lessons that can be felt in the wallet are the most valuable ones, as we all now
I actually do not have any place to complain aboout this at all(not a complain, just expressing my shock about the seemingly unreasonably different price), but I could even have adjusted that easily if I just had done this four days earlier as I originally planned.
Oh damn.

But damn!
This will be immensely helpful, that means I can trade reagents with one of my ami pals!
He got a similar price quotation in the range of almost 40$ from there to here too, no idea what postal service though.
Although we also aimed above 2kg's, thats probably the reason.


I still haven't opened mine, I haven't even seen it yet, or received it(sent it to the family, who have it, I even paid the customs fee demanded to at least have a first look at it from distance, but no....
I will do so in the evening though

I am very excited

Greedy

Oh... that makes sense, not even thought of this.


I finally could look into my senders parcel, oh wow!
Exactly what I wished for, so great... I wish here were more suitable lamps to place them dinosaurs under..

Yeah, because I got fluorescent plastic dinosaurs!
I had one among the normal plastic dinos as a kid... now I have... a lot, and I already had put some of the already charged ones here and there, all hidden, even in plain sight, now I just have to wait until its night
I guess the joy over these will be quickly over when someone, most likely me, accidentally steps into one of the sharper ones... or such, so I am enjoying it while it lasts!

Oh yeah, and the triphenylphosphine I wished for too, which is really great because the stuff we ordered but was not in stock, turned out to not be restocked ever again.
How great I waited until today

I have no idea who mine could be though... there's way too many of you coming from that state to guess... but whoever you are, thank you very much, I am delighted

Amongst much else, was this beauty(!), I was definitely pleased. Not much time to show everything,



Headed out to the coast for Christmas Eve, lots to do. I also received some 3 prong clamps and various glass vials, tubes, plastic snap top vials. It was real nice. Thank you so much Dr. Bob. Hard not to know who it was from when I've bought from you numerous times

Merry Christmas one and all. Hope my recipient enjoys all that's been sent. Not saying when, but I know it's/has been, at your door step. I'll check back in later to see how y'all be doing. Till then, have a wonderful evening, hopefully with family and good cheer. Not to mention safely, don't need people losing family members!! That sux RIP, I love you MOM ;( ;(

Shipping

My brother-in-law is still waiting on 2 items ordered the 1st week
of this month and this is domestic. I had better luck shipping to
Europe. BTW, shirt and a notebook my sister and brother-in-law
gave me for Christmas:

Due to financial (among other) troubles mine ain't getting mailed til the first (Been in touch so no disappointments), but mine got here TODAY YAY, From Evidently somewhere close to the French /Spanish frontier". Have a "Martini Kit"--Vermouth and Olives, just add gin/vodka, some cockles, limestone from the PARIS CATACOMBS, a piece of teflon sheet, AND a 200ml(ain't measured yet) Glass Pressure Reactor bottle. w00t w00t!!!


Santa, how could you have known a pressure reactor was on my list?

No pics of a sample of sand but it's white and from the mine in the bottom pic.




[Edited on 12-27-2021 by arkoma]

Here's the other stuff I neglected to post... Because we it takes a while to get out.



Good grief what a beautiful sight, and ohh so much thanks goes out to Dr.Bob!! Not only was he my Santa, he helped me play Santa to my recipient. You helped on both ends and I am grateful. I hope your Christmas was indeed a wonderful one with family. Sorry for the delay in proper recognition for your kind gesture.

Dear Secret Santa

Dear Secret Santa,

excuse my late response. I was visiting family and could only now open your gift. Although initially confused by the listing in your letter, my confusion turned into astonishment reading further. You're a very generous Santa but don't need to be more than you already were!
I was not only pleased by your selection of reagents (for everyone curious: potassium chromate, ammonium dichromate, sodium dichromate, sodium sulfide, trioxane fuel tabs) but by your selection of edible products (love stroopwafels!).
I'm enjoying it right now

I will get to your homework too, preparing pure trioxane by sublimation of the OTC fuel tabs. I love some beautiful crystals (but who doesn't?). What a nice idea to include an experiment like that

I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

[Edited on 2-1-2022 by basement]

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

Santa, how could you have known a pressure reactor was on my list?

Santa didnt know
(But he did chuckle imagining the end result of the extraction of some funky plant in that flask though).

You missed one teflon item ! Well, four actually
The PTFE clamps should be the last ones you will ever need. They dont corrode, will still work around 200c and were a unobtainium for me for a long time so I was happy to share this find.
They are superior in every way to the disposable plastic ones and click nicely in place (non stick!) compared to steel ones.

If anyone is interested, ask your suppliers if they carry
http://www.cowie.com/

Fun fact: discovered them at the end of Covid year 0. Cowie, Covid. Ok that's dumb...

Quote: Originally posted by Metacelsus

Huh, I wonder how they got that limestone out of the catacombs.

I had my parents open the package for me because, as some of you know, I moved to France to work as an assistant researcher.

My secret santa sent me some chocolates (which my father promptly ate because "they will expire") and some chemicals, including a mystery chemical I will try to identify. I am not sure of what's exactly in the box because, well, the average boomer is unable to take photos with their phone, so I just saw some blurry random vials.

I can see some hydrated FeCl3, some beta-naphthylmethylketone and some ethylamine HCl. Nice!

Thank you a lot, and sorry for the super late public feedback!

Thank you Santa-hatter for that Davies.
The note was spot on too ! Space is scarce in the lab so that condenser will probably save me from using the 60cm in the picture.

Sorry for the quality of the pic. Believe me when I say it's a beauty

Above: 60cm Liebig
Middle: 30 cm Liebig
Below: 30 cm Davies

Better Picture

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber

Thank you Santa-hatter for that Davies. The note was spot on too ! Space is scarce in the lab so that condenser will probably save me from using the 60cm in the picture. Sorry for the quality of the pic. Believe me when I say it's a beauty Above: 60cm Liebig Middle: 30 cm Liebig Below: 30 cm Davies

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