JJay
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Phenylacetic Acid
I just saw phenylacetic acid being offered for sale as a 40% solution by a well-known and reputable supplier with the comment that they "can't sell it
in pure form." I can't imagine that they'll be selling it for very long. I'd provide a link, but I can't imagine any legitimate purpose for buying
phenylacetic acid.
In all seriousness, is there any legitimate purpose for a 40% phenylacetic acid solution?? It seems almost like seeing a 50/50 mixture of red
phosphorus and sodium sulfate sold as stump remover....
[Edited on 2-3-2017 by JJay]
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Db33
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my bad i thought it was ebay you were talking about, which is known to be a bad place to look for such items. But the place you speak of i am familiar
with but unsure of the reliability.
[Edited on 2-3-2017 by Db33]
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JJay
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They have a good reputation, but I've never bought anything from them, and who knows, they might have just listed it on their website by mistake or
something. I'm not about to buy any phenylacetic acid to verify the legitimacy of the offer, but it sure looks legit....
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Sidmadra
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I can think of a great deal of legitimate uses for phenylacetic acid, at least within the realm of synthesizing various hetereocyclic compounds. It's
an extremely basic building block for the most part. Unfortunately many listed chemicals are very basic building blocks. You would be surprised how
many different compounds I've had to synthesize that required a methylamine group, yet It's just not something I'd want laying around because of the
stigma it has. I instead end up having to go a few steps out of the way to achieve the desired transformation.
Legally speaking, sellers of List 1 chemicals are required to have DEA authorization and registration, and are also required to obtain an intended-use
statement from the purchaser. If the individual/company is just purchasing for internal use then no registration with the DEA is required, but rest
assured their information will be passed along to the DEA as per the reporting requirements by the selling company.
Here's some example documents from a company detailing their procedures for such:
http://www.riccachemical.com/Documents/regrequirements.pdf
http://www.riccachemical.com/Documents/order_acceptance_poli...
So it wouldn't be illegal to buy, you just need to state your intended use of it and not mind being on the DEA's radar.
I'd also point out it's not unusual for companies to sell listed chemicals. Many don't because they see it as an unnecessary bureaucratic hassle to
just sell a handful of reagents, but it's really not much different from how companies like Sigma sell them. It's perfectly legal if done properly.
[Edited on 2-3-2017 by Sidmadra]
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JJay
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Quote: Originally posted by Sidmadra  | I can think of a great deal of legitimate uses for phenylacetic acid, at least within the realm of synthesizing various hetereocyclic compounds. It's
an extremely basic building block for the most part. Unfortunately many listed chemicals are very basic building blocks. You would be surprised how
many different compounds I've had to synthesize that required a methylamine group, yet It's just not something I'd want laying around because of the
stigma it has. I instead end up having to go a few steps out of the way to achieve the desired transformation.
Legally speaking, sellers of List 1 chemicals are required to have DEA authorization and registration, and are also required to obtain an intended-use
statement from the purchaser. If the individual/company is just purchasing for internal use then no registration with the DEA is required, but rest
assured their information will be passed along to the DEA as per the reporting requirements by the selling company.
Here's some example documents from a company detailing their procedures for such:
http://www.riccachemical.com/Documents/regrequirements.pdf
http://www.riccachemical.com/Documents/order_acceptance_poli...
So it wouldn't be illegal to buy, you just need to state your intended use of it and not mind being on the DEA's radar. |
According to this, 40% phenylacetic compositions are not regulated by the DEA (the threshold is 80% for red phosphorus): https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/FED_REGS/rules/2004/fr121...
So it's actually legal to sell a 40% phenylacetic acid composition to a hobbyist... pretty mind-blowing.
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Sidmadra
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Wow. That list is extremely surprising. I'm surprised they would allow such insignificant levels of dilution to make many of those reagents exempt. I
get the impression that the list is almost sarcastic, or a trap of some kind for sketchy companies.
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JJay
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It looks like some companies lobbied specifically to get the PAA threshold limit lowered.
I'm thinking it would be kind of cool to have some PAA but then again it wouldn't really be all that cool, and it could lead to problems.
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Racconized
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There are many legitimate application's for phenylacetic acid and it would be very nice if you didn't go spreading the sources. Those who use
phenylacetic acid for legitimate reasons know where to find it and I think it would be wrong to make it inaccessible for them. The most common
legitimate uses for it is not really related to chemistry btw
[Edited on 5-3-2017 by Racconized]
[Edited on 5-3-2017 by Racconized]
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JJay
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I haven't bought any, mainly because I can't think of a good reason. Also, I don't think anyone has "spread the sources." I deliberately withheld the
name of the supplier.
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Elemental Phosphorus
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According to Wikipedia, phenyacetic acid is used in some perfumes. This could be for making your own perfume. If not advertised as such though, it
seems sketchy. Also, I personally wouldn't buy any because the DEA might pay me a visit. The last thing anyone needs is law enforcement barging in.
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JJay
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Yeah, I can just picture how that would go.
"Why did you buy the phenylacetic acid?" "Oh, I just like the way it smells." "Do you have a lab?"
....
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say ...."
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