futurenobellaureate
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How can I get started?
I am interested in chemistry. I would like to study polymers, ionic compounds, antiseptic agents, dna, and gases. What should I get to get started
on a budget. The main things I want to study are dna and polymers.
Sciguy
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Nick F
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Books.
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futurenobellaureate
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Yes, books, I know. I have books on chemistry and polymers. I mean what types of equipment should I get to study polymers, ionic compounds,
antiseptic agents, dna, and gases.
Sciguy
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pantone159
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These links have procedures for extracting DNA from various natural things.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/activities/extraction/
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ti/human_body/dna.html
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/activities/wheatgerm/
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/DNA_extractions.ht...
http://biotech.biology.arizona.edu/labs/DNA_Kiwifruit_teache...
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Nick F
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What do you mean by "study"? What do you want to do? To say that you want to study "gases," an entire state of matter, is meaningless. What do you
want to study about gases? Which gases?
I still say books are the most important. If you've learnt and understood everything in the books that you have, then buy more advanced books.
Sure, you can extract DNA from things but that's all you're going to be able to do with it, and that hardly counts as studying. The only way you're
going to learn anything about DNA is reading. Similarly with polymers. You might be able to make a blob of goo in your lab, but you won't learn
anything new about polymers without reading.
The categories of "ionic compounds" and "gases" are much much too large for anyone to be able to tell you what you need (except books!), because to
fully study either of them needs massive amounts of equipment and many lifetimes.
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woelen
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With "study" you means "perform experiments"? Others already pointed out that you must be more specific. But if you want experiments, then also, you
have to explain in more detail what kinds of experiments. Also the level of your current knowledge may be useful for us to know if you want a useful
answer.
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futurenobellaureate
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With "study", I mean perform experiments. I would like to engineer new types of polymers, which is why I wanted to perform experiments with gases and
ionic compounds.
Sciguy
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chromium
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Three neck flasks, strirrers, reflux condensers, droping funnels, thermometers, heating with decent controll over temperature, good scales and other
measurement apparatus and many other things.
See attached picture for somewhat typical setup.
[Edited on 17-7-2006 by chromium]
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sparkgap
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Mistah Sciguy, if you're gonna be aimin' a shot for that prize thus implied in your username, you might want to study a wee bit of basic organic and
inorganic chemistry. 
And would you mind telling us how far (behind?) you are (or were) in education.
sparky (~_~)
"What's UTFSE? I keep hearing about it, but I can't be arsed to search for the answer..."
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futurenobellaureate
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Does anyone know of any descent suppliers?
Sciguy
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Nick F
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Ebay can be surprisingly good for standard lab equipment. You can find some nice chemicals as well...
It's worth seeing what's being offered at least.
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woelen
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| Quote: | With "study", I mean perform experiments. I would like to engineer new types of polymers, which is why I wanted to perform experiments with gases and
ionic compounds.
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What is the relation between polymers on one side and gases plus ionic compounds on the other side???
Despite your forum-name I have the (bad) feeling that you are mixing up all kinds of things and really do not know what you do/want. I have read your
posts (just 10 at the moment) and up to now, I only have seen total drivel.
Please buy a few books on basic chemistry and come back to us, when you have studied them. And also, I would suggest you to first learn
something of basic inorganics. Chemicals for that are easier to obtain, it requires less equipment and most experiments in that direction also are
less dangerous. E.g. try playing around with some magnesium salts, copper salts, iron salts, some dilute acids and bases, that kind of stuff.
Experimenting with them will make you understand at least the basics. Do not even think of polymer chemistry, with the level of knowledge you have
shown to us in your 10 posts over here.
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Brie
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I can't really help you with a lab setup(I just finished freshman year as a chem major, I still have no idea what I'm doing ), and I do recommend following the suggestions to start with basics.
You'll thank yourself in the long run, I wanted to "make things go boom" when I was 15, and now that I've learned something I've fallen in love with
the whole field, instead of a few buzzwords and hot topics.
As far as what to do once you have gotten to a point where you're playing around with the fun stuff, I know that there is a whole bunch of open source
software that was originally designed to sequence DNA, test theoretical polymers, and all sorts of good stuff. Most of this was made for a research
project or something, and them put up on the web as an afterthough... Try softpedia or just googling
Of course its always in the last place you look for it. What do you do, find something and keep looking?
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