[Baseball_Fan]

I'm wondering, how many of the chemicals a chemist uses are found in normal stores, places like hardware stores?

I saw someone was talking about making rocket engines, and said they could not buy salt peter cheap?? A person responded to go to walmart and buy a 5 pound bag for a few dollars.

How many chemicals are sold under alternative names? How easy is it for an amateur to make their own labratory at home?

One last question about the law. A different thread said that owning glassware is illegal in Texas. What about other states? Why is it illegal to own flasks? It would make more sense to make it illegal to own chemicals which are used for illegal purposes than glassware.

Last, do chemists have science groups in most places where they can meet and talk about what they're making. For example, my area has an amateur astronomy club, where people bring their telescopes out once a month and people who can't afford the $2000 scopes can get a chance to see what more experienced members do. Is there anything like that for chemistry, or is it illegal?

[pantone159]

A different thread said that owning glassware is illegal in Texas.

BTW, it is not ALL glassware that is illegal.  There is a specific list of restricted items, which DOES include erlenmeyer flasks, almost all other kinds of flasks, condensors, sep funnels, heating mantles, and some extremely specific items including 'adaptor tube' and 'transformer'.  OTOH, glass beakers and test tubes are ok.

Technically, one can supposedly get a permit to have such things (as universities etc. must), but the rules require that each and every purchase require getting a new permit for that specific item.  I.e., you can't go through a one-time permit application as a hobbyist, and once approved, buy glass all you want.  You have to re-apply for each and every flask you ever want to buy, and there is like a 3 week waiting period after that before you are allowed to actually recieve anything.
(I think that for organizations, they don't have to apply for each specific item, but individuals do.)

There is also a restricted chemical list, which is pretty much the DEA List I set, although red P is not included.  Most chems are ok, however.

I haven't investigated actually getting a permit, as the process sounds so burdensome as to be completely unworkable.  Thankfully, you can do a lot with beakers and test tubes.

Caveat:  Although I've tried to read the actual law, it is not written in English but rather in 'legalese' so I might not have interpreted everything correctly.

Why is it illegal to own flasks?

Because the legislators are morons.

[constant thinker]

Muriatic acid is about 22% HCl. Don't quote on the concentration though.

Lime is Ca(OH)₂. That's common.

Various fertilizers contain nitrates. I don't which ones though for which brands.

I recently found out that concentrated sulfuric acid is used for cleaning. I don't know the brand name, but you may be able to find it in a hardware store.

Lye and Caustic Soda are both NaOH.

Acetone can be found in the paint area, and is sold as a paint thinner. I've seen under the name of Acetone.

Ammonia is sold as a cleaning product. I don't know any brand names for it though.

See also.
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=8715.0
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=9326.0

[woelen]

A really good place to start is a ceramics store, which sells colorants for ceramics. Salts (sulfates, carbonates and oxides) of many metals are available in those stores, e.g. of vanadium, chromium, iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, tin, molybdenum. These compounds are cheap, but still have sufficient purity to be used in home chemistry experiments.

[Kenichi]

You can extract Potassium Nitrate from certain stump removers. These can be found in hardware stores or lawn care centers. 

I've found most muriatic acid (HCl) to be around 33%.  Once again, hardware stores. I got over a gallon for abouyut $4.

Iodine is found in the topical antiseptic known as tincture of iodine.

Hit up the existing threads, there is plenty of other things out there.  Home chemistry has turned us all into label-readers.

[hmx9123]

That's pretty impressive considering conc. is 37%.  Although they may be measuring v/v or w/v.  I've usually seen 20-26% depending on where you get it.

[Mirage]

I live in Canada were KNO3 containing products have been banned and I still seem to be able to find it!

Stump Remover=KNO3 (recrustallize to remove impurities)
Muriatic Acid=HCl ( Varying concentrations as this is technical grade. Have done titrations and had 27%-33% w/v concentration, fairly pure, sold in sealed plastic bag )
Rooto drain opener=H2SO4 ( drain clog remover, also sold in sealed plastic bags; just look on the back to see if it is sulfuric acid; dependin on brand, varying concs. And purities)
Acetone=Acetone ( used as a solvent for cleaning etc. Pure)
Tolulene= Tolulene ( quite pure again sold near acetone or in solvent section)
Root Kill=CuSO4 ( quite pure again, recrustallize for purer stuff, unavailable in Canada! Can't believe it)
Crystal weed killer=possibly NaClO3 ( not sure about this because it may be a different oxidizer; read the back to make sure)
Rubbing Alcohol= Isopropanol or Ethanol (usually near their azeotropes with water; ethyl alcohol or isopropanol. Make sure you get the right one)
Tincture of Iodine= source for elemental iodine ( small process to remove from solution search on YouTube)
Copper pipping=Cu
Zinc roof stripes= source of strips of zinc metal
Instant cold packs (single use)=NH4NO3 ( varying purities, canbe used to make kno3 if stump remover is unavailable)
No Salt=KCl ( fairly pure. I use this to color pyro devices and for making chloride and potassium salts)
Ph minus= usually NaHSO4 ( again varying purities; purify by recrystallization; be sure to check the back safety sheet for guarantee of sodium bisulfate)
Garden Sulfur=Imoure Sulfur powder
Washing Soda= NaCO3
pool chemical(unknow)= just found on the back it said it was lithium chloride)
Lye/red devil lye= red devil lye is quite pure although crystal drain is definitely not pure

A fun thing to do is to go to the pool store and just look at the back of all the bottles of chemicals.

Thanks, hope this helps, spent about an hour typing this on an iPod...
Miragep

[Glassblower]

I have a glassblowing shop in Texas,and I have a permit to sell laboratory glassware.The regulations on the glassware suck.You have to keeptrack of every sale you make,(of the listed glassware).
I can sell it to buyers out of state,no problem,but if companies in Texas want to buy from me they must also have a permit.
Some Tard in the Texas senate,back in the 80's thought it would stop the production of Meth .