Chapter 4: Chemicals for the Home Chemistry Lab 45To state the obvious, a home chemistry lab requires chemicals. Years ago, laboratory
chemicals were pretty easy to find. Dozens of small businesses specialized in supplying
chemicals to home chemists, Fisher Scientific and other large specialty chemical suppliers
were happy to sell to individuals, and even many corner drugstores did a side business in
supplying home chemistry hobbyists.Nowadays, laboratory chemicals are a bit harder to come by. Concerns about safety,
liability, terrorism, and illicit drug labs have made it more difficult to obtain the chemicals
that you need. Many vendors nowadays sell only to businesses, schools, and other
institutions, refusing to sell chemicals to individuals. Fortunately, there are many exceptions.
It’s still possible to get every chemical you need, if you know where to look.In this chapter, you’ll learn everything you need to know about laboratory chemicals—from
how they’re named to how to handle them safely and where to buy them.4
Chemicals for the Home Chemistry Lab
CREAH pE By THE poUNd
Do not overlook the advantages of banding together with other home
schoolers or like-minded hobbyists to buy chemicals in bulk. For example,
a vendor may charge $3 for 25g of a particular chemical, $5 for 100g, and
$9 for 500g. If you need only small amounts of chemicals, you may be able
to cut your chemical costs dramatically by arranging with other home-
schooling families or hobbyists to order chemicals in larger quantities and
divide them among you.
The cost advantage is particularly great for chemicals that incur hazardous
shipping surcharges. For example, if you order 100 mL of concentrated
nitric acid for $5, the vendor may add a $35 hazardous material
shipping surcharge, for a total of $40. But if you order a 500 mL bottle of
concentrated nitric acid for $15, the same surcharge applies, for a total of
$50. If you divide that chemical with four friends, each of you gets 100 mL
of concentrated nitric acid for only $10.