Bunnings no longer stocks NaOH. This is annoying. I can get it easily enough from a chem supplier, but being able to get it otc was very convenient.
Bynnings no longer stocks toluene. I am going to scout around some other hardware stores, but I am not confident. I have stocked up on xylene just in
case that goes too.
The only hardware store in my town that stocks bioflame has shut down. Bioflame is greater than 99% ethanol and is anhydrous. I will have to conserve
what I have.Gammatron - 22-9-2022 at 19:01
That's rough. I'm surprised I can still by conc. H2SO4 at hardware stores in the US. Just bought a gallon for $20 today and a kilo of NaOH, I try to
stay stocked cause I can foresee it going away at any moment. Even more surprising is that you can buy rust stain remover that is 2% HF.
[Edited on 9-23-2022 by Gammatron]B(a)P - 22-9-2022 at 22:05
Try Sydney Solvents for anhydrous ethanol and toluene (and many other solvents), pricing is reasonable.
I recently purchased sodium hydroxide from Bunnings, so that is new and very disappointing. DocX - 23-9-2022 at 07:13
Dear friends. Welcome to Europe! 6dthjd1 - 23-9-2022 at 17:29
sadLion850 - 23-9-2022 at 20:07
Very recently I bought NaOH from our local Bunnings and a few months ago from Coles. And I need some more now! Will go to look.j_sum1 - 23-9-2022 at 20:26
I tried a different hardware store (Mitre10)and encountered some brands I have not seen before. Time to stock up.
I got the last container of the cheap NaOH and grabbed an additional can of the other brand. You are right, Lion850. I have not seen any NaOH in the
supermarket for a while. I am guessing it is not outlawed because there is drain cleaner that is 54% caustic soda. But the pure product I have not
seen for a while. So, I guess it is at the stage of phasing out rather than completely unavailable.
[edit]
I could not find any current suppliers of the bioflame product in my area. But it seems that Diggers does still distribute it so it may be around.
I did find this which may be helpful. https://www.ethanolfireplacefuel.com.au/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi...
At the moment I have a few litres on hand so I won't rush out to buy any more. But I now know what to look for: a different brand and packaging for
sale for ethanol fireplaces. (I did not know there was such a thing.)
[Edited on 24-9-2022 by j_sum1]Lion850 - 23-9-2022 at 21:04
You can get NaOH (and KOH) from soap making shops , but they are also moving to pre-prepared "heat and pour" products
That's in part because their non chemists customers dont like dissolving NaOH in water because it makes caustic droplets and the solid beads can fall
in your gloves.
I've met soap makers who straight out told me they prefer NaOH solution because otherwise they couldnt have this activity with kids.B(a)P - 29-9-2022 at 14:17
I took a trip to Bunnings yesterday to hit the pool section for all of my summer chemistry needs (Tdep ~2018) :-).
Sadly no sodium hydroxide.
Side note that Sydney Solvents also stocks sodium hydroxide (I promise I do not have any affiliation with them financial or otherwise), 5 kg for $55
or 20 kg for $120.
If sodium hydroxide gets any harder to obtain I will purchase a 20 kg bucket, which I will happily share. j_sum1 - 29-9-2022 at 16:49
Crisis seems to be averted for now. NaOH is back on the shelves in Coles. But definitely something to watch for.
My preferred supplier for many basic chems is auschems.com. They don't have a huge range, but prices and shipping are good and service excellent.
(Thanks George.) Good prices too on burettes, but not so much other glassware.
While on the topic, KMnO4 is increasingly difficult to find at pharmacies. But it is still there: you may need to shop around and usually need to ask
because it is shelved behind the counter.j_sum1 - 30-9-2022 at 04:12
50% hydrogen peroxide, 5L for under 80 bucks.
Not that I need it. But someone might like the link.Mesa - 30-9-2022 at 19:35
I've seen 50 percent h2o2 in hydroponics stores in aus, but I've always been suspicious of it given aus restrictions on it(pharmacies recently removed
all 6 percent h2o2 products supposedly due to new legislation or something)
It feels similar to bleach products being labelled as X percent chlorine rather than y percent hypochlorite and z percent hydroxide)Tsjerk - 30-9-2022 at 23:30
Check the peroxide video of Explosions&Fire (YouTube). The peroxide might not be completely 50% but it is concentrated.ManyInterests - 25-10-2022 at 07:35
Things like this are why I feel I should stock up on sulfuric acid. I still got a bit of pure stuff and a 1 liter bottle of drain cleaner. I think
I'll buy me another just to make sure I have enough for a while in the event they just pull it from the market.
