Safety of chemical experiments at home

[bjon-07]

I am a freshman at USD ( chem major). I absolutely love chem lab. I have been think about preforming some experiments at home. Is this a bad idea, unsafe.

I have had basic college lab knowldge, i.e. what to do if you spill an acid, ect.

Is it safe to buy chemcials (an or labware) on ebay ( can i assume they are what the labels claims they are)?

One last question, in chem lab we did the classic experiment of sliver coating the inside a beaker. Could i use this to coat other objects in sliver ( i.e. my paintball gun).

Thank you for your time! :)

 

[thunderfvck]

www.sciencemadness.org/talk/

That's a great forum dedicated to practical chemistry at home. All experiments can be safe, provided you know exactly what you're doing. The stuff on ebay is for real. I suggest CHEMSAVERS INC. as an ebay store for chemicals, and all the glassware you'd need is offered by various members. I wouldn't bother ordering chemicals though, it's a lot more fun to use household items to make what you want.

Oh and I don't think you can use that silver to coat your gun. It's probably just wash off/rub off on your hands. I suggest paint!

 

[Ostwald]

Well... I'd have to agree with Thunderfvck on this one... mostly.

Here's the thing. It's great that you know basic lab safety procedures, but here are some things to keep in mind.
1. After working with chemicals, the work area should be treated as unclean even after washing it. So if you're planning on doing an experiment on your kitchen counter, I wouldn't want to make dinner on that same counter.
2. Houses are not often equipped with fume hoods, as are most laboratories.
3. I disagree that household items are more fun to work with. But the problem with ordering chemicals is that they're really expensive!
4. Make sure you have someone around who will check up on you periodically. Doing laboratory work alone is NEVER a good idea.