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▲ 2 r/homechemistry

What water bath to heat a tiny solution at 150F

Dans ma formulation, je dois chauffer une très petite solution (15 ml) dans une bouteille scellée GL25 (25 ml) en borosilicate.

Ma question est que la solution sera très petite, je veux dire en hauteur.

Puis-je utiliser un bain-marie pour flottement des tissus ?

Je sais qu'il y a des petits et ils chauffent jusqu'à 75 degrés Celsius. (170F)

Merci

Leica HI 1210 https://profcontrol.de/Leica-HI-1210-Wasserbad-fuer-Paraffinschnitte-Histo-Bad-Histologie-Water-Bath_1

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u/hart3140072 — 1 day ago
▲ 105 r/homechemistry+1 crossposts

Ethanol extraction

So i have a solution in everclear. Previously i just used a candle warmer to evaporate the ethanol, but that got expensive so i got a condenser, silicone tube, and some glass vessels along with the pump from an old cat fountain and here we are. If im only interested in recovering the alcohol to be reused as a solvent, do i need to worry about things like heads or tails or whatever?

Its thc oil btw. I take old vape carts, crack the top off and soak them in everclear to get the residue/final drops that won’t reach the wick, then reconcentrate and add the reclaim to candy or something edible.

u/toxicatedscientist — 3 days ago
▲ 12 r/homechemistry+2 crossposts

Cloud chamber with no dry ice?

Hello everyone! I am currently trying to make a cloud chamber without using dry ice. The reason is because where I live dry ice is fairly expensive so I’m working without it. I’ve tried many times and had several… interesting failures but I can’t get the vapour to super saturate. I’ve tried all sorts of different dimensions for my chamber and the closest I’ve got is alcohol condensing on the bottom (at least I think it’s condensed on the bottom) but no vapour. Any tips?

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u/FluffyAd6520 — 5 days ago
▲ 16 r/homechemistry+2 crossposts

homemade synthesis of cupric hydroxide

Introduction
I am very young and my journey in chemistry is just beginning. Everything I know I have learned exclusively from books or my own research, but even so I have ventured to carry out several experiments in my own way.
In the past, one of my experiments was electrolysis using seawater. Since I used copper wires, the result was cloudy water which, after researching, I determined was Cu(OH)₂. Since it interested me, I kept trying until I obtained a method that allowed me to create it whenever I wanted.

Observation
As I was able to verify, electricity breaks the chemical bonds in water, forming bubbles of its elements, oxygen and hydrogen. But if the electrodes are copper wires and pencil leads are tied to their tips (essentially so that they do not interfere with the reaction, since I had previously contaminated it by using screws or nails. Also, copper by itself does not electrify the water), the electricity releases Copper(2+) ions that combine with hydroxide(-) ions to form the cupric hydroxide that I observe. Although I am fairly certain that the resulting solid (after evaporation) contains sodium chloride (used to increase the electrical conductivity of the water), and possibly copper oxychloride, because in previous versions of the experiment, the copper wire ended up with a kind of stain or salt that was somewhere between white, green, and light blue (in color). Furthermore, it is the logical outcome considering that sodium chloride would not pass up the opportunity to release chlorine.

Problem
The main problem is that forming it is not as simple as combining electricity + water + copper, because the water does not react very well. That is why I used sodium chloride (although sodium bicarbonate would probably be better because it does not produce the problems associated with copper oxychloride). The electrodes are now graphite pencil leads, since nails produced unwanted iron in the final solution. In the end I was able to solve it in order to produce what is, at least in part, cupric hydroxide.

Hypothesis
I already mentioned it before. As far as I know, when hydroxide (-) ions are released at the anode, they combine with the positive copper ions that are released and remain in the water. Afterwards, that newly formed copper salt remains suspended in the water, although it also contains portions of copper oxychloride (formed by the reaction of copper hydroxide with the negative chlorine released by table salt), as well as salt dissolved in the water.

Experiment

Materials I used:

  • 9V battery (photo attached)
  • 2 copper wires (3 wires twisted together in each one), one measuring 6.6 cm and the other 6.3 cm.
  • 2 pencil leads, one measuring 1.2 cm and the other 1.3 cm.
  • 25 g of sodium chloride, or table salt (approximately, because I'm not sure how accurate my scale is).
  • Water (approximately 100 to 125 mL)

Steps I followed:
1- Pour all of the available salt into the water.
2- Stir until no salt is visible to the naked eye.
3- Insert the copper wires with the pencil leads tied to their tips.
4- Connect the other end of the wire, without the pencil lead, to the battery (the battery terminals).
5- Wait approximately 5 minutes or longer.
6- Heat it in a water bath long enough for all the water to evaporate.
7- Collect the resulting salt and store it.

Personal notes:

  • The water is pale light blue with yellowish tones.
  • The wires:         • One only darkened on the portion that was submerged.         • The other darkened at one specific point.         • The one that does not appear to be darkened produced a green flame when placed in fire, but only when the flame reached the portion that had been submerged in the water. (The base copper did not do this; I tested it as well.)

(All of this was carried out on 06/14/2026.)

Conclusions
This is one of the experiments I have performed the most. I would say I have carried out at least 6 different attempts, or perhaps even more. I decided to publish this one because it is the only one that is structured and documented with measurements and everything (Lavoisier and the scientific community of this very subreddit would probably kill me if I published something as poorly structured and improvised as all of my previous attempts). In conclusion, I can say that this process is indeed suitable for obtaining this salt, at least until I manage to get better laboratory equipment than 10 borosilicate test tubes (certified by Francisco H. Walz S.C.A.) and household items.

Final words:
I would absolutely love to receive feedback. I am willing to listen to all your criticism and comments. It has already been a year since I decided that I would dedicate my life to chemistry. Although I am still very far from earning a degree in chemistry, I have an indescribable passion inside me. Every video, everything I do, everything I see related to chemistry fills me with motivation. Every time I explain my experiments, I feel a fire inside me. Whenever I have been depressed or sad, I have turned to reading or spending time with chemistry, one of the few things that has never stopped exciting me or bringing me joy. I can spend an hour locked in my room, completely focused on analyzing my samples, simply because I enjoy it. I came to this subreddit with the mission of finding people who believe in me, and if not, then finding people who enjoy chemistry so I can talk outside an environment where no one understands a single word of what I am talking about. Finally, I would like to quote the words of Marie Curie herself, which perfectly represent a part of my life and the way I see science: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."

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u/Proud_Problem_4739 — 5 days ago
▲ 4 r/homechemistry

Getting to concentrate sulfuric acid as much as possible

I hace recently built my own home-lab and I am looking to get concentrated sulfuric acid so I can make fuming nitric acid for a project. I've seen on various tutorials that I needed sulfuric concentrated up to 96-96%, mixed with potassium nitrate. On my local hardware store, I only get about 15% so I'm looking to purify it. My heating plate only gets up to 270 C°. So my question is, can I try to purify as much as possible (about 80%) and make my nitric acid, or do I necessarely need 96% concentrated acid. And if so, do I proceed to distill it with a flame ? (ik its dangerous but I would take all security mesures to do so) Thanks in advance for all your responses appreciate u gang

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u/Zencigt — 8 days ago
▲ 40 r/homechemistry+1 crossposts

I just did a Chemistry experiment for school about finding the rate of hydrolysis in different temperatures. The data is dopamine-inducing.

This is the graph for absorbance value (y) and time in seconds (x) for 50 degrees

This is the graph for absorbance value (y) and time in seconds (x) for 90 degrees

Btw the method is basically you get pure aspirin, dilute and dissolve using water and ethanol, then use purely a water bath at that temperature and collect data at different time intervals. And What you do is use a iron (III) chloride buffer solution, so every time you collect a sample of the solution from the water bath, drop it into a test tube with a specific amount of the iron (III) buffer, and then it will turn purple because ASA will turn into SA and acetic acid, and SA binds to iron in the buffer. And then use a colorimeter to measure the color accurately, so you can find the difference.

I did five temperatures and found the slope (Gradient) of them before they plateau.

This is the slope graph (differentiated graph) combining all five graphs

After this, theres a guy called Svante who made the Arrhenius Equation,

so you 1 / the temperature (change it to Kelvin)

and u natural log the slope

and you get:

This is a downward slope that hopefully is linear and matches -Ea/R

Voila, beautiful isnt it?

Chemistry at its finest.

The theory works!

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u/Happy-Radish-317 — 8 days ago
▲ 64 r/homechemistry

Lab benches - treatment for wood

(repost with better image quality)

Introduction and Background:
This post is on a suitable coating for wood surfaces for use in the wet chemistry lab, but is suitable for use in all kinds of things such as engineering benches or electronics benches too.

The most common material used to construct benches- especially in the amateur setting where cost is a restriction- is wood. Wood is cheap but presents the issue that it is porous in nature and absorbs spills readily. This is especially problematic when the spill is acidic, as the wood will continue to be attacked even after wiping the surface down with a wet rag. Protection against aqueous spills can be furnished by the use of paint, but it raises the problem that paint is not solvent-proof, and usually not acid-proof either.

In the past we used ceramic tile and float glass to cover our wooden benches, but they are difficult to drill for the installation of stand rods and very heavy, plus would require replacement when broken.

We were tipped off by a friend to a neat recipe (DOI 10.1021/ed002p353), which we relay here plus our own experience with it.

Warnings:
Potassium chlorate is an oxidizer, and may not be legal to own in certain jurisdictions. Copper sulfate is toxic if ingested. Aniline is possibly a carcinogen. Hydrochloric acid is corrosive. This reaction may produce a trace of chlorine. Boiled linseed oil presents a pyrophoric hazard if the rags used with it are throw in a trash receptacle.

Theory:
The treatment consists of two solutions:
\- Potassium chlorate and cupric sulfate
\- Aniline hydrochloride and hydrochloric acid

The first solution is applied to the clean wood surface while boiling hot in order to allow for expansion of the pores to allow for as much solution to absorb as possible. Two coats are used in total. When the second solution of aniline hydrochloric and hydrochloric acid is applied, the acid allows for the oxidation of aniline by chlorate (as chloric acid) to proceed, many intermediates are formed such as quinones, but the end result is the formation of polyaniline. This is an insoluble navy-blue to black compound that is inert. The only purpose of this is to stain the wood a black color, matching proper phenolic and epoxy benches. The reason for this complex chemical treatment to stain the wood is because in this way, the wood pores are unoccupied and allow for the final treatment with linseed oil to work. If black paint was used instead, the oil could not penetrate the wood properly.

Boiled linseed oil is oil from the flax plant (linseed) that has transition metal catalysts added to accelerate "drying". The name is derived from the very old process where the raw oil was heated with lead oxide to form salts with the fatty acids, resulting in catalysts. In modern times, the catalysts are usually cobalt, nickel, or iron instead of lead. The oil has a high content of linolenic acid esters, approximately 40-50%. Linolenic acid is one more unsaturated bond than linoleic acid, and is liable to air oxidation. On oxidation it polymerizes to form what amounts to linoleum. Due to this polymerization, the oil sets into a solid that is highly resistant to chemical attack and solvents. This is the same principle behind seasoning cast-iron cookware. With ordinary linseed oil, it would take several months to fully "dry", with boiled linseed, several days to weeks, and the process can be accelerated with a "Japan dryer", which is essentially a higher concentration solution of the metal catalysts in a solvent. I suspect the leftover copper sulfate in the wood also acts as a catalyst to some extent.
This oxidation reaction is also why rags soaked with the oil may spontaneously combust if throw into a trash can. The rag acts like a wick, with a large amount of surface area to air, and in a trash can the heat from the oxidation can result in a runaway and eventually a fire. Rags used with linseed oil must be laid flat on a non-flammable surface and let "dry" before disposal, or alternatively soaked in a bucket of water.

Notes from experience:
The wood must be entirely free of paint and oil. Even if you use a solvent to strip the paint off, the pores of the wood are still occupied by polymer, and thus the board must be planed or sanded down.
The solutions need-not be at a rolling boil, but near boiling is sufficient. For the coats of the chlorate-copper solution, you do not need the first coat to completely be dry before the second is applied. It only has to be dry to the touch. The application of the aniline solution however requires the wood to be fully dry, otherwise it will not penetrate as thoroughly. At this stage, the wood should turn slightly blacker, but we found that the complete darkening only happens on heating or drying. Be patient.
After the aniline solution is applied and developed properly, the wood board is washed with a wet soapy rag a few times, then a rag with fresh water a few times. This only serves to remove the remaining copper sulfate and potassium chloride from the surface of the wood. There is no aniline present anymore as it is consumed in the polymerization, nor is there chlorate for it has been reduced to chloride, thus there is no severe hazard at this stage. The rag will likely get colored blue or black as some surface polyaniline rubs off, but it is easily washed free from the rag as the polyaniline exists as particles just like dirt does.
The board must be let FULLY dry before boiled linseed oil is applied. We simply poured a good quantity of the oil onto the board, spread it around with a paper towel, and let it sit for an hour or two. If all of the oil gets absorbed, apply more oil. Eventually we gave up trying to saturate the board after using about half a liter. Vigorously rubbing the oil into the board can speed up the process. The wood is entirely usable as a bench surface once the oil is taken up, but keep in mind it has not fully dried yet at this stage so try to not spill anything on it.

Conclusion:
The result is a very nice looking surface that is entirely waterproof and solventproof (after drying for a week or longer), it may be polished to a shine but we did not choose to do so. Compared to our phenolic lab bench in our fumehood, it looks very similar other than the wood texture, but we quite like the appearance. We would describe the appearance as satin. The obvious advantage over a phenolic or epoxy bench is that wood is cheap, and also more heat resistant than the phenolic bench. Our phenolic bench spalled when we put hot glassware on it whereas a wood bench would singe, but otherwise remain unaffected. Wood is also easier to work with than phenolic resin.

Overall this treatment for wood is quite ingenious in its simplicity yet effectiveness, and while one could simply treat the wood with only linseed oil if they do not desire a nice appearance, we think it is worth going the extra effort to stain the wood with polyaniline as the chemicals used are quite cheap, the process is simple, and the end result is gorgeous.
If you are going to spend much of your free time at the lab bench, why not make it something you are proud of?

u/EdwardTriesToScience — 8 days ago
▲ 3 r/homechemistry+1 crossposts

Unusual problem: sourcing chemicals for early-stage prototyping. (I will not promote)

Hello everyone! I have a somewhat unique problem that I have not been able to figure out yet and wanted to see if anyone else has gone through something similar.

A few months ago, I had the idea for what I believe is a pretty interesting product. Since then, I've been putting a lot of effort into trying to create a prototype. From my research, it seems like it's going to be pretty easy and cheap to make, but I am having trouble sourcing the key ingredient, PVA powder. It's the same stuff that makes up the dissolvable film around tide pods and items like that. Even though it seems like a harmless chemical, most chemical manufacturers require that the product be shipped to a business / commercial address and do business vetting prior to shipping. I've tried ordering it to my personal address and they were unable to ship it. I've tried explaining the fact that I am an early-stage inventor and don't meet that requirement, to which they said they were unable to help.

I'm in the process of forming my LLC, but even then, I won't have a commercial building. I'd much rather validate the project first before entering into something that risky. Has anyone had a similar issue to this? What solutions are available that I might not have considered? Thanks in advance for all of the help!

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u/Busy_Abrocoma_3389 — 12 days ago
▲ 8 r/homechemistry

Making anhydrous acetone

Hi,

I am making my own anhydrous acetone for a project. I am buying anhydrous magnesium sulfate since it is easier than baking epson salts for hours. About what ratio do I need to put into regular hardware store acetone to dry it?

Any ideas in what to seal it in once it is created and filtered? I know it starts re-absorbing moisture immediately upon hitting air.

Thanks for any help

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u/Inquisitation — 14 days ago
▲ 4 r/homechemistry

Solutions for not having pipettes and pipette tips?

I need to validate some methods away from any university (don't want my uni to get their grubby little hands on, or have any kind of claim to my IP). Any thoughts or advice?

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u/_Hodor_Hodor_ — 13 days ago
▲ 5 r/homechemistry

The much requested video on my previous posts on base oils

As you guys requested on one of my previous posts on recovering base oils from used oil I’ve made a video showing how I did it and my results

This is my first YouTube video so go easy on me guys also I would have used engine oil but I don’t have any at the moment so I showed my method using vacuum oil

Please do watch comment and subscribe guys it would mean a lot also I’m open for advice on ways to improve my content and I’m also open on anything else you guys would like a video on thank you guys !!

youtu.be
u/AwaisA20 — 14 days ago