[Karakth]

I've been meaning to get a proper chemistry set for a while now. Most of what I have is baby stuff...Tiny test tubes, oil burners...

Today I went down to a Lab Supply shop near my school and got a copy of their catalogue. They've got the following:

r/b flask 250ml
Bunsen Burner
t/Tube holder wood
Stoppers various sizes pack
Conical flask 50ml
Tripod
t/tube rack 6 hole/6 peg
beaker 50ml
beaker 100ml
gauze
filter paper pk 10
Delivery tubes 1 set
glass funnel 70mm
Measuring cylinder 50ml
4xt/tubes 15mm
2 x boiling tubes

iron filings
sulfur
copper sulfate
Ferrous aluminium sulfate
magnesium sulfate
borax
ammonium chloride
lime water
dilute HCl
dilute NaOH
Potassium permanganate

Now most of these are relatively cheap. I want to be able to try out a few organic chemical conversions, measure some enthalpy changes, do some qualitative analysis, that sort of thing.

Do those of you with experience in practical chemistry have any suggestions as to what things are essential and what things aren't?

Thanks.

[xiankai]

wooden splinters? litmus papers? nitric/sulfuric acid?

in my school practicals we often use these alot too.

[P-man]

Where do you live? I've been wanting to get a proper set too but I can't find a store that is close to me (Toronto). Any help appreciated.

[Karakth]

Heh, Malta, sorry

Check the world map on the site.

P.S. I'm slowly slowly getting the stuff I need. I've got some test tubes and a rack, now I'm getting a burette and some flasks. And a volumetric flask. Chemicals I buy from supermarkets/ironmongeries, but "rare" stuff my chem teacher said he'll lend me from his private lab.

My first experiment will be to find the concentration of an unknown solution of HCl. I'll have to prepare a standard solution of alkali by weighing some Na₂CO₃ and putting that in water.

I'm not sure about the calculation:

Na₂CO₃ + HCl --> NaCl + CO₂ + H₂O

Erm, does sodium carbonate form NaOH in solution? And if so, is it 1 mole sodium carbonate giving 2 moles NaOH or is there some sort of neutralisation reaction? I don't believe so, but one of my friends suggested this.

[Borek]

Na₂CO₃ + HCl --> NaCl + CO₂ + H₂O

That's proper skeletal equation, jut balance it now.

[P-man]

Cool, man. That's a pretty good experiment. What kind of chemicals did you find in supermarkets? Well I guess supermarkets in Malta might be different from the ones in Canada !

[Karakth]

Hmm, I suppose a solution of sodium carbonate would give excess OH ions in solution due to the Kb of carbonate, right?

Ugh, sounds all so messy. Fun, though. Lots of nice calculations to work out, involving the second Ka of hydrogen carbonate and the Kb etc etc. Good practice, and all that.

Also, the supermarket here sells "toilet unblocker" which is basically something like 25% HCl solution.

[P-man]

WOW! Can you concentrate it to make it stronger?