[P-man]

OK, so we have finally moved into a house we own... and I have received a corner of the basement ot set up a chemistry lab. But I have no idea where to start. In building, that is. What furniture should I get first? How should it be set up? What furniture should I have? It's all very mind-boggling and I need some pointers to get started.

Thanks for any help...

[mike]

You will need, bench space, fume cupboard (or some form of ventilation), shelving, cupboards, flammables cabinet, acids cabinet, oxidizers cabinet, fire safe bottles for solvent, stools (or chair), electrical outlet (with separate safety switch), water, sink, rubbish bin, broken glass bin, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, fire sand, lighting, drainage in the floor, emergency alarm button and or phone, whiteboard, book case, radio, computer (maybe?).

[P-man]

Thanks. Where can I get all these wonderful things (and what exactly are they)? I mean all these different cupboards, do they have to be special or are they just seperate cupboards for each of these things?

[mike]

Shelves and cupboard are just for storing glassware, and various apparatus. Flammables, corrosives and oxidizers cabinets are specially designed to contain a certain amount of chemicals and minimise their release or potential for damage in a fire or accident. They also keep incompatible chemicals separate (for example you could have a separate cabinet for acids and bases). Fire safe bottles for flammable solvents are a good way to store bulk solvent that won't catch fire in a lab fire. Sink can just be a stainless stell trough, glass bin is just a separate bucket for broken glass to prevent cuts when disposing of waste. Fire fighting impliments are self explainatory. An emergency alram button or phone is just some way for you to contact someone who can come to your aid if you are incapacitated in your lab on your own (also if working alone esp at night have someone check in on you preiodically by phone or in person). Electrical safety is important in the lab to prevent accidental electricution so a safety switch, surge protector, separate fuses etc are good idea. Fume cupboards are expensive so you could opt for a small benchtop one, there are various designs out there.

[constant thinker]

Mike covered a lot of stuff.

Just for safety reasons in certain instances I'm going to recommend buying latex gloves, or better yet neoprene. I use latex gloves simply because if I spill something on my hand it gives me time to react to the spill assuming I saw it, and wipe/wash it off. Actually I tested those yellow dish gloves which are latex with concentrated (~98%) sulfuric acid, and the gloves were fine.

Also you may want a scale for measuring out things.

Best of luck.

[P-man]

Thank you all for your wonderful inputs. Can I have just a table/desk with a sink in it? Should the table/desk be covered with linoleum or something? Should it be fixed to the wall?

I suppose if I need to plug anything in I should use a surge protector.

Oh, and where do you suggest I get all these things? And is there any basic apparatus I should have?

[DevaDevil]

for the benchtop, have something durable like epoxy resin, so spills will not ruin your table. Also of course have it either fixed to the wall or made very stable in another way, you do not want anything toppling because the table is not stable enough.

Surge protectors are always good.


Basic apparatus? Well you will need chemical glassware, properly calibrated (in case of pipets, titration columns etc). Probably a bunsen burner and heating jacked / water bath. Possibly a potentiostat with it to be able to set a desired temperature. Maybe a magnetic rotator to be able to mix solutions in a better way than with a stick. If you are going to do suction (Büchner) filtrations you will need a vacuum pump.

Just a few suggestions. It actually all depends on what you really plan to do in your workplace.

[P-man]

I really just want to have a space to experiment and fiddle around with different ideas and aspects of chemistry.

[constant thinker]

If your just looking for the basics to be able to mess around, you may want to look at what united nuclear has to offer.

For there Labware section...
http://www.unitednuclear.com/other.htm

They have a few sets of things. I've been eying the Graham Condenser.

[EccentricHeather]

I've been eyeing their butane burner; since I don't have gas lines available, it might work.  Their sets of glassware and lab equipment look like a good way to start, and their prices seem reasonable - they are competitive with the local chemical shop where I buy my chemicals and equipment.  Their sets have all of the basic equipment; you could order them (or buy the equivalent at a local shop if you lucky enough to have one in your area), and add more specialized equipment as you need it.

The shop - Hi Valley Chemical - where I buy my supplies has an online store; you can also look there.  They are friendly towards amateur chemists.

http://www.hvchemical.com/

I'm also thinking of coming up with some sort of lab setup, but since my space is limited, I can't give it a permanent home.  I currently store my chemicals in an unused bathroom, but there isn't enough space to work in there.  Usually, I just get out what I need and work in the kitchen if the chemicals aren't dangerous, or outside if there is some sort of hazard.  I'm thinking of looking for some storage boxes that can fold out as makeshift shelves - somewhat like a larger version of the boxes that old-fashioned chemistry sets came in.  (Maybe a few old chemistry set boxes would do the trick.)  Has anyone else come up with a portable lab setup that can be folded up and put away when not in use?  I'm looking for ways to reduce the hassle involved whenever I want to play with chemicals.

Heather

[Borek]

http://www.unitednuclear.com/other.htm

Are they still in bussiness? They had some problems last year IIRC.

[pantone159]

http://www.unitednuclear.com/other.htm

Are they still in bussiness? They had some problems last year IIRC.

I hope so!  I just sent them $35 or so for some stuff, with CoCO3 and luminol being the most fun.  I think their troubles are with the CSPC (sic?) regarding pyrotechnic/fireworks chemicals.  Getting things like oxidizers and powdered metals may become a problem.  (I think the government is going to mandate a quantity limit, around 500 g / person / year / chemical, on such things.)  Currently, many of the critical pyro chems seem to be 'out of stock'.  I don't think they will go out of business, though.

[billnotgatez]

I always thought I would rather have an outbuilding rather than the basement.

Is a fume cupboard similar to a fume hood?

[EccentricHeather]

United Nuclear is still there - my order of uranium and potassium just arrived.  They took a while to fill the order, but they say in their FAQ that they are extremely busy around Christmas.  Hopefully, they will stay around, but since they seem to push the limits of legality, they might go too far and get shut down one day.

Next time I order something from them, I will pick a time of year that is less busy.

Heather

[P-man]

Thank you everyone for your great ideas. I am sure to use your advice. I'll post my plans once I have them ready. Right now I am going to spend some time planning and thinking and talking with my parents.