Aurus
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Beginnings: Websites for Apparatus/Reagents
I am an amateur chemist who is just beginning his foray into practical amateur chemistry. Unfortunately, the country in which I live in is a small
country in Europe, therefore I am unable to procure reagents and glassware. Perhaps you could help me by informing me about websites which would ship
to Europe such things?
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hissingnoise
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Keten.pl and keten.org are Polish chemicals sites, and may be related; there's also a Swedish site called nilsson and lee, mostly pyro-related.
If you're in, say, the Nederlands, it should be easy.
They'll probably ship, even to Ireland, but I haven't tried them yet.
No need to go across the pond.
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woelen
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In which country are you? If you are in the Netherlands (as I am), then you are quite lucky and things are quite good. There is a good seller over
here (http://www.labstuff.nl), but chemicals are not shipped outside of the Netherlands (maybe to Belgium, but not to other countries). I have good
experience with this seller.
Another good supplier, which is online again (after a nasty raid in July last year) is http://www.lippert-chemikalien.de
With the latter I also have very good experience. I ordered chemicals from him several times without problems. Even stuff like thionyl chloride is
shipped, as long as the destination is inside the EU and can be reached with ground transport. All chemicals are shipped, perfectly packed according
to ADR regulations.
[Edited on 1-1-09 by woelen]
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Aurus
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I live in Cyprus, which is the second smallest country in Europe, with a population of 700,000 people. Unfortunately, it is difficult to acquire
chemicals due to a small population.
Thank you for your suggestions.
[Edited on 1-1-2009 by Aurus]
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woelen
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Hmm, then I am afraid that the links I supplied are of no help to you.
Try this one. It is in the USA, but he ships worldwide: www.artcraftchemicals.com
I also have good experience with this one. The selection of chemicals from this supplier is somewhat limited, but I'm quite sure there are interesting
items between them.
The chemicals you should try to find locally are the strong acids and sodium hydroxide, but good chance that you can find them in hardware stores.
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hissingnoise
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Thanks for the links, woelen.
The German supplier even has acetic anhydride which surprised me.
If it's the chemikalienshop.de, it's good to see it up again.
Pricier than the Polish suppliers, though. . .
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woelen
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Yes, it is the same as chemikalien-shop.de. He sells exactly the same set of chemicals (except GBL, which is removed from the list) for the same
prices. The only thing which has changed is that purchase of ANY oxidizer now needs an ID and a declaration of intended usage. But this only is true
for oxidizers. Stuff like red P, thionyl chloride and many others can be shipped without hassle.
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Aurus
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I will look into your suggestions. The link you sent me, Woelen, appears very promising.
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Promethium
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Lippert Lehrmittel looks to be a very nice supplier. I'm a bit concerned about the raids though. Do you think I will be in the safe if I stay away
from the oxidizers and other obvious no-go's (GBL etc.)? I have nothing illegal in my possession but the local anti-terror force are known to tear
apartments apart and drag people out with hoods on, something I think would affect my relationship to my neighbours.
I have found a lot of apparatus on ebay, especially the german one is nice and many sellers will ship to EU and some even outside if you ask them.
[Edited on 2-1-2009 by Promethium]
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woelen
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If you are in Germany, then I'm afraid that you will never be safe if you order chemicals online, regardless the supplier. If you are outside of
Germany, but in another EU-location, then things look better.
In 2005 there were 1700 raids and in 2008 there were 600 raids again. Both razzia's were aimed at people ordering chemicals online. Both razzia's were
limited to Germany and to my opinion they were really bad. Even persons who just ordered copper sulfate have been raided.
The few raids outside of Germany really were directed towards drug-labs (more specificly, GHB production sites, using GBL as precursor reagent, which
was offered by Lippert). In the Netherlands we also have a few raids per year, but every time when this happens, then it really is good that there was
a raid, because these raids were either XTC-labs, GHB-labs, or people storings 100's of kilos of oxidizers, metal powders and that kind of stuff, who
make their own fireworks in a simple shed without any decent protection.
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Aurus
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Regarding the fact that I live in Cyprus, how will I know if, by what I am buying, the police will knock on my door and confiscate my property, or add
me to their list of potential suspects for crimes? Even if what I am buying is as innocuous as copper sulfate.
This is a major concern of mine, since if I do order through the internet, I might get into trouble.
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woelen
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Its a risk that always is associated with buying things online. Unfortunately, the political climate is not good for home chemistry. No one can ever
give 100% certainty that you will not be raided. I, however, think that the German situation is exceptional and certainly not common in the EU (and
Cyprus now is part of the EU). Especially if you order from sites like www.artcraftchemicals.com, which are geared towards photography, then I think that the risk is not large. In your case you also have no other
options. Webshops like Lippert or Labstuff will not ship chems to your location and locally you probably have very limited options of buying anything
beyond the really basic stuff. So, stick to the photography raw chemical shops.
Maybe www.silverprint.co.uk also is an option for you. This is inside the EU and that allows one to avoid some customs inspections. I'm not sure though
if they ship outside of the UK, I have no personal experience with them. Many sellers are very hesitant to ship chemicals to destinations which cannot
be reached by simple ground transport (e.g. car or truck). Atcraftchemicals really is a precious exception to this rule.
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Aurus
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I think this should be moved to Reagents & Apparatus Acquisition, since it was a mistake when I placed it in Beginnings. I misunderstood the term.
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Aurus
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Btw which websites would you propose to buy apparatus from?
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crazyboy
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Aurus
Btw which websites would you propose to buy apparatus from? |
Your best bet would be to find a supplier near you but after hearing your situation I find that unlikely. Many suppliers on eBay ship worldwide, it
might not be cheap though.
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woelen
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Yes, use eBay. There are MANY suppliers. Just search for test tubes, erlenmeyers, distillation setups, etc. Do not forget German eBay, you can find a
lot over there as well.
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Aurus
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Thanks
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woelen
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Have a look at these specific eBay sellers:
- baffcat (located in UK)
- sir_flacon (located in DE)
- thadeustitus (located in DE)
They all ship internationally. Bafcatt and thadeustitus sell new glassware and other materials, sir_flacon sells second hand materials. Prices in
general are good.
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Lambda-Eyde
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| Quote: | Originally posted by woelen
There is a good seller over here (http://www.labstuff.nl), but chemicals are not shipped outside of the Netherlands (maybe to Belgium, but not to other countries). I have good
experience with this seller.
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I just checked out labstuff, and I must say that I'm astonished! 
1L RBF 6,50€! 40 cm spiral condenser 26,50€!
Have you purchased any jointed glassware from him? If so, what brand is it? Although the pictures show Schott DURAN brand, I doubt he can afford to
sell such top-notch glass at such prices.
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