Brain&Force
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Household uses of reagents
A lot of us get chemicals from OTC sources, but I'm wondering, has anyone found a good use for any reagents they use in the lab?
I've found copper chloride solutions to be an excellent method of making a heating pack if you have aluminum foil handy. You can also make one by
adding copper or iron powder and magnesium powder to water. Normally magnesium and water react only slowly, but the presence of another metal produces
a small battery that heats up as it shorts out and reacts at a much faster pace. - this is what US MREs use for the heating pack.
Rough silicon pieces make excellent abrasives. And of course, sodium silicate can be used to preserve eggs.
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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bismuthate
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I used copper chloride as a heat pack too! I also have found that some gases can be quite useful when dealing a bug pest.
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alexleyenda
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By curiosity I once left a beaker upside down full of NOx gas over a dandelion. It died quite fast :p The grass was also damaged however.
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Zyklon-A
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Yup. I use chlorine, N2O4, and other toxic gases to kill annoying bugs all the time. I should try it on plants too, sounds fun.
Not a super practical use, but I use chromic acid to clean lab glass and sometimes kitchen glass. It's toxicity is a big downside, but due to the
intense color of said solution, there's a good indicator of when you've rinsed it all out.
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alexleyenda
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Do you really use hexavalent chromium on kitchen glass? I am almost scared just to use it in lab. Even the fact that it is very toxic, I don't really
mind, you must be a total idiot to ingest a lethal dose, but the fact that it is cancirogenic, I really do not like it !
[Edited on 13-6-2014 by alexleyenda]
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Zyklon-A
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Yes, I would be a total idiot if I ingested a lethal dose.
I've used it only twice on Kitchen glass, I cleaned and rinsed it for a long time. Trust me, no way was there even close to enough to hurt anyone.
[Edited on 13-6-2014 by Zyklonb]
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alexleyenda
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It takes only one successful cancer cell made by one mutation caused by one chemical reaction with one molecule to give birth to a whole cancer :p
That is why I really take care with cancirogenic products. The chances are small if you rinse it correctly so you could call this paranoia but hey,
cancer is something nice to avoid :p
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plante1999
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It is not that bad actually, the toxicity of many chemicals, including hexavalent chromium is way over rated. One could clean with vodka to be sure.
Speaking of which, did you got the package Alex?
I never asked for this.
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alexleyenda
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Yep, thanks, got it 3 days ago, I should have noticed you. Everything's fine. And plante, as I said, it's not really the toxicity but the fact that it
is cancirogenic the problem. One successful mutation not spotted by the repairing enzymes or the immune system, that's all it takes to get cancer. Of
course, the chances are very low but I prefer to avoid them if I can! The problem is that most of the time it won't do anything, but the time it'll do
something, it's a cancer. It's like playing lottery. You may think you'll never win, but some people do win :p Anyways, that was my paranoid 2 cents^^
[Edited on 13-6-2014 by alexleyenda]
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Texium
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Yeah, I wouldn't take any chances with that either. I always handle hexavalent chromium with great care at an arms length, and thoroughly clean
everything it touches.
I'd never use it for kitchen glass. My parents would kill me!
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arkoma
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i KNOW people from Hinkley, California (Erin Brokovich) chrome(VI) is no fucking joke.
Back on topic, I've used "homemade" NaOH to get the drains flowing again, bathtub especially (girls in the house, long hair). Straight cathodic
liquid out of a chlor-alkali cell works GREAT for opening up slow drains, and its already "hydrated" so ya need not worry about "exothermic geysers"
LOL
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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numos
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Doesn't matter how much you rinse it, no surface is perfectly smooth, glass has microscopic pores in which heavy metal substances can lodge, and
release very slowly, like mercury vapor, except into the liquid nearby. Keep eating glassware and lab glass separate, I don't even use my lab dH2O to
clean kitchenware.
As for the thread, if you have a soot stain, like from a candle that doesn't wash, add a few drops of conc. Sulfuric acid and wipe quickly, will come
right off. Also glow powders, the type you can charge, can be sealed in ampule and make great gifts.
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arkoma
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For soot stains the BEST easiest remedy is a tad bit of ashes. Cigarette, paper, whatever. As a retired junkie, I know this for sure. Goddang soot
is HARD to get off the bottom of a spoon. Steel wool won't hardly touch it, but a minute amount of ash and POOF; rubs right off. Catalysis, I
reckon.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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Texium
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Quote: Originally posted by arkoma  | | I've used "homemade" NaOH to get the drains flowing again, bathtub especially (girls in the house, long hair). Straight cathodic liquid out of a
chlor-alkali cell works GREAT for opening up slow drains, and its already "hydrated" so ya need not worry about "exothermic geysers" LOL
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Haha, that's funny. I was rather unhappy when my dad decided to use my store bought NaOH (which I bought
with my own money) to clean some drains. Took it right out of my cabinet.
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arkoma
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| Quote: Originally posted by zts16 | | Haha, that's funny. I was rather unhappy when my dad decided to use my store bought NaOH (which I bought with my own money) to clean some drains. Took
it right out of my cabinet. |
I bet. Hard to find OTC here (Nevada); "why you want it? Making dope, dude?" Never mind one of most used chems in the world.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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Fantasma4500
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lime scale is not a problem if you have HCl
but i guess some surfaces might be damaged abit by HCl, havent seen damage on tiles using weak HCl yet, but its fairly quick, never seen tiles that
clean before
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Brain&Force
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Steel wool is great for starting fires, as is cerium metal (I've never handled cerium, but it makes a ton of sparks when broken). See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRypbE8_zTo
At the end of the day, simulating atoms doesn't beat working with the real things...
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Praxichys
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Sulfamic acid is great for talking limescale off of dishes. I permanently discolored a Formica countertop with HCl by accident while trying to achieve
the same goal in a plastic tub.
Dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrachloroethylene, and to some extent acetone are really handy for removing stubborn price tags and barcode labels.
Fresh warm piranha solution is great for cleaning flower vases with organic crap in the bottom. It's quick but not very economical.
Yes, the toxicities of many things are overrated. Maybe you are really good at cleaning it and maybe nothing will happen to you. It's just that I
would much rather lay on my deathbed, wasting away from cancer, knowing that I didn't do anything that may have caused it. It would suck to be dying
and wishing you hadn't washed the dishes in chromic acid all those years ago, regardless if it was the cause of your cancer or not.
[Edited on 16-6-2014 by Praxichys]
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