Vicarious3rdEye
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Posts: 16
Registered: 19-11-2016
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First Post from a long time lurker and admirer of SM
Greeting to the Science Madness community!
I just wanted to make my first post after going to this site daily for almost two years now 
At least 80% of my Google searches are followed by sciencemadness site:www.sciencemadness.org
I have wanted to post numerous times asking questions to learn from people much more intelligent and experienced than myself but have read so many
posts of people asking for information that has already been talked about to death and I have wanted to avoid that, along with people posting asking
to be spoon fed with "recipes" without taking the time to learn on their own and doing their homework and then asking for help.
I have really grown to admire the general ethics you guys have especially when it comes to people making a first post asking questions with sketchy
terms "cooking" and the so called kewls looking to make hazardous organic peroxides or illegal phenethylamines or other illegal substances and such
and have most responses be people looking out for peoples safety and posting behavior that usually weeds out those who have lesser intentions which is
the same behavior that keeps giving chemistry (especially home chemistry) a bad name to those less educated in chemistry. I have always liked
chemistry and decided to take a night intro to chemistry class two years ago at a community college to get me started and I have been obsessed ever
since with spending almost all of my paychecks on glassware,reagents, and books. I knew I was in deep when I got all giddy from getting a used and
older version of the Merck index on ebay for only $35.00. I have been extremely impressed and inspired with procedures from people like Magpie and
posts from Woelen ( who has an excellent website) along with many others who are very active on this forum. I apologize in advance if this post is too
long just for an introduction but I wanted to introduce myself before posting anything else.
I have also followed the YouTube channels of Doug's Lab, Chemplayer, Nurd Rage, and Nile Red for about two years as well and have done numerous
procedures on said channels. It is very tempting to just follow the procedures for enjoyment without fully understanding the actual chemistry of them
so I have been trying to read up more before I do anymore heavier experiments as my theory needs to be broadened.
I have made Hydrazinium Sulfate and 2-Amino Benzoic acid via the Hoffman Rearrangement, Pyridine from the decarboxylation from Nicotinic acid under a
Copper Chromite (Cu2Cr2O6) catalyst, various experiments with Vanillin, Benzaldehyde from the Na2S2O8 oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol [excellent writeup
from Magpie by the way ], KIO3 from KClO3 and I2, attempted KIO4 from the action
of Cl2 on an alkaline solution of KIO3 with not too much success, and various others as I continue to get new glassware, reagents, and knowledge.
Anyways sorry I just typed out basically a small essay here lol, I just am excited to finally be able to talk to you guys and share what limited
information I know and continue my learning in this wonderful world of chemistry.
Thank you to any of you that have read this whole thing and to all who may reply.
Oh by the way I apologize if this post belongs in the Beginnings section, please say so if it does , I wasn't sure if it belonged there due to nothing
in the actual post talking about a specific chemistry question or subject.
[Edited on 12-11-2017 by Vicarious3rdEye]
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j_sum1
Administrator
Posts: 6320
Registered: 4-10-2014
Location: At home
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Mood: Most of the ducks are in a row
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Well, this is nice. Thanks. Let me officially welcome you.
It sounds like you are well on the road and probably have more experience and knowledge than many here. Feel free to open a thread or two to discuss
your experimentation and your results.
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Vicarious3rdEye
Harmless
Posts: 16
Registered: 19-11-2016
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Thank you j_sum1 I appreciate the warm welcome very much
Before posting though I do have to get better at recording all the important data and especially the results, I have three filled up lab notebooks but
I didn't until recently start recording the percent yield and what potential problems that came about during an experiment, I have a lot to work on
and usually take a long time to learn certain things so even though I might be good at say 80% of what an intro to chemistry class would offer, I
still am struggling to learn things that I should have known long ago. Like pKa values, I know can do most calculations,measurements and such on a
first chem year class level and then some but some simple stuff I just struggle so much with in understanding it is frustrating. I want to post in the
most formal way as possible to be taken seriously and not someone posting before thinking.
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JJay
International Hazard
Posts: 3440
Registered: 15-10-2015
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Welcome. The best thing to do is jump in and start contributing with actual experimental results and questions about experiments you are doing.
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Vicarious3rdEye
Harmless
Posts: 16
Registered: 19-11-2016
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Mood: No Mood
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Thanks JJay!
I just posted in the Beginnings section about Transition metal salts of Carboxylic Acids and their properties so I will see how that turns out with
everybody and report back with my own findings.
Thank you.
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
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Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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Yes, this will prove valuable when you want to repeat a synthesis, etc.
Quote: Originally posted by Vicarious3rdEye  |
I have three filled up lab notebooks but I didn't until recently start recording the percent yield and what potential problems that came about during
an experiment....
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I just finished filling my 9th notebook. Recording results is very important as it shows your skill and whether the procedure was any good or not.
It's how I grade myself, presuming the procedure and raw materials are good.
I just finished an attempt at making phenetole using Brewster's procedure and diethyl sulfate. Results: zero yield on a 0.20 scale, although I think
I smelled a minor amount. I have concluded that my scale was too small. Today I am making a full batch of diethyl sulfate, ie, about 30g and will try
for phenetole again.
What don't you understand about pKa? Maybe we can help.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
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Wilcommen !
Don't worry too much about where you post, so long as it is interesting. Forum Matters is fine for this post.
Beginnings is just for stuff that has no supporting evidence, e.g. no paper or reference.
(that reminds me, i should nicely ask a mod to move some of my posts to Beginnings)
Welcome to the forum and i look forward to Seeing some of your highly detailed, documented and photographed experiments !
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Vicarious3rdEye
Harmless
Posts: 16
Registered: 19-11-2016
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Mood: No Mood
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Hello aga
Thank you for your welcome!
It's really funny I am so excited to get replies from you all since I have read many many of your posts throughout the last two years it's nice to
finally communicate with you and everyone else.
I have had literally nobody to talk to about chemistry except the poor friends who happen to come over my place while I'm doing an experiment and have
to hear me ask questions they have no answer to lol
By the way I am 26 and have just been doing this all on my own for the last 2 years except for one semester of a community college class I took to get
me started to I still have a long ways to go in understanding chemistry. I feel guilty in some regards because I have made compounds from procedures
like Chemplayer, Doug's Lab, Nurd Rage, and Nile Red as well as some great writeups by SM members as well as a fantastic synthesis for
4-Diazo-2,6-Dinitrophenol starting from N-acetyl-para-aminophenol from Rosco Bodine which I had a ball doing but I don't completely understand all
the mechanisms some times and am trying to learn by doing but that can only get me so far in certain regards and think I need to take another class or
hire a tutor because I know there are certain fundamentals I need to have a solid understanding of.
I just wanted to put that out there, I do know enough of stuff NOT to do making potentially toxic or unstable compounds so I'm not clueless or
reckless. Not looking to win a Darwin award.
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aga
Forum Drunkard
Posts: 7030
Registered: 25-3-2014
Member Is Offline
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LOL.
Just explore as best you can - that's all that any of us can do - if you enjoy it.
If you desire to explore Energetics, there's a forum Topic for that, full of very experienced people, such as Bert.
If you want help with OC, i will personally be totally useless, however there are Many here who can point you the right way.
"With a CSE in Biology and a CSE in Metalwork, if you need your cat welding, i'm your man"
(ripped from Alexi Sayle)
[Edited on 13-11-2017 by aga]
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