Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: What are your experiences with Chemsavers? Reliable supplier for amateurs?
Cou
National Hazard
****




Posts: 958
Registered: 16-5-2013
Member Is Offline

Mood: Mad Scientist

[*] posted on 12-6-2020 at 21:05
What are your experiences with Chemsavers? Reliable supplier for amateurs?


Their chemicals are much cheaper than most amateur chemistry suppliers.

Chemsavers has amazon/ebay presence and is a good source of diethyl ether and some common organic solvents.

I have received a couple of chemicals from them. Some common chemicals they stock in their warehouse, but the more exotic ones are ordered from another chemical supplier, then shipped to you.

It costs $37 to ship the exotic chemicals to residential addresses. for large orders I'm not yet sure if you have to pay $37 for every chemical, or if they can order them all from their supplier in one box. Someone said they had to pay $400 for shipping on a $100 order, so sounds like they don't ship them all in one box.

Are they always happy to do business with amateurs (aka some eccentric messing around with chemicals in his house), or do they start getting suspicious and refusing sales if you order too often? I'm thankful that there even exists an institution that will sell a large range of reagents to amateurs.

[Edited on 13-6-2020 by Cou]

Another topic... I am wondering if I could have these chemicals shipped to my university lab instead, to reduce shipping costs. packages are dropped off in front of the lab door and brought inside by the grad students. i'm not sure if it's allowed, since university mail is not supposed to be used for personal mail. i could either take them home, or i would have to do the reactions in the university lab.

it would look better if I could think of a legitimate academic use for them in the undergrad research course, but research topics are hard to come up with. I was thinking something like "Measuring reaction rates of fischer esterification" but that's really simple compared to what's being published in journals these days.

I'm kind of embarrassed to email my professor about this, what do you think? I mean, I think organic chemistry professors are happy to see someone who doesn't see organic chemistry as an evil GPA killer, but I think my ester interests are bit eccentric and not really contributing to the field.

[Edited on 13-6-2020 by Cou]




my youtube channel, organic chemistry videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0qzaRyHxLUOExwagKStYHw
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Tsjerk
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3032
Registered: 20-4-2005
Location: Netherlands
Member Is Offline

Mood: Mood

[*] posted on 13-6-2020 at 00:52


Ask your professor if it is ok. Mine didn't have any problems with me ordering stuff, as long as I payed for it. He was also fine with me doing anything in the lab as long as it was legal.

If yours is not fine with it, well then you have to come up with another plan.

I'm sure your professor won't care about your hobby not being top notch publication worthy... It is a hobby right?

Edit: at some point I could order from big suppliers under my own name, they would Google me to find what lab I worked at and they would find the delivery address was the same as the address of the lab. They would send the bill with the delivery which I payed from my personal account. My professor knew what was going on and was fine with it.

[Edited on 13-6-2020 by Tsjerk]
View user's profile View All Posts By User
arkoma
Redneck Overlord
*******




Posts: 1761
Registered: 3-2-2014
Location: On a Big Blue Marble hurtling through space
Member Is Offline

Mood: украї́нська

[*] posted on 13-6-2020 at 10:56


And I thought Skylighter had high shipping costs. Bought 2lbs Sr(NO3)2 and a pound of Hexamine along with ten feet of visco fuse, and shipping was more than the chems,but not that high.

Fireworks season!




"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

View user's profile View All Posts By User
draculic acid69
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1371
Registered: 2-8-2018
Member Is Offline


[*] posted on 13-6-2020 at 18:10


NIN RULE
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Cou
National Hazard
****




Posts: 958
Registered: 16-5-2013
Member Is Offline

Mood: Mad Scientist

[*] posted on 14-6-2020 at 19:01


It turns out they charge a whopping $37 shipping for EVERY item. So an order of 5 chemicals end up being almost $300. This hobby is important to me, but it would take 1.5 weeks at my pizza delivery job to save up that much. Worth it?

[Edited on 15-6-2020 by Cou]




my youtube channel, organic chemistry videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0qzaRyHxLUOExwagKStYHw
View user's profile View All Posts By User
MadHatter
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1339
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Maine
Member Is Offline

Mood: Enjoying retirement

[*] posted on 14-6-2020 at 20:22
Chemsavers


I never had problems with them. I've bought
hydrazine sulphate, lead nitrate and sodium azide
from them. This has been a long while so I don't
remember what the shipping charges were.




From opening of NCIS New Orleans - It goes a BOOM ! BOOM ! BOOM ! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !
View user's profile View All Posts By User
pantone159
National Hazard
****




Posts: 590
Registered: 27-6-2006
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: desperate for shade

[*] posted on 14-6-2020 at 20:27


I have had good experiences with them, but it has been a while. I do not remember anything like $30+ per item, but i forget what I bought from them.
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Fleaker
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1252
Registered: 19-6-2005
Member Is Offline

Mood: nucleophilic

[*] posted on 18-6-2020 at 12:32


We sell to and buy from them. Good people.



Neither flask nor beaker.


"Kid, you don't even know just what you don't know. "
--The Dark Lord Sauron
View user's profile View All Posts By User
arkoma
Redneck Overlord
*******




Posts: 1761
Registered: 3-2-2014
Location: On a Big Blue Marble hurtling through space
Member Is Offline

Mood: украї́нська

[*] posted on 18-6-2020 at 15:36


OT---Long Live Zoklet^^^^^^^



"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

View user's profile View All Posts By User

  Go To Top