This blog is my attempt to reconnect with the world of chemistry. I have a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and make a living doing research for a large company in Michigan. As times have changed, that company has changed its focus and I no longer have as much chance to do the basic, fundamental research which I most enjoy. Through this blog, I am hoping to recapture the magic which I felt during my graduate (and undergraduate) days in college. Expect topics on chemistry and alchemy along with some non-chemistry related items which I think might be interesting.

"The chymists are a strange class of mortals, impelled by an almost insane impulse to seek their pleasure among smoke and vapour, soot and flame, poisons and poverty; yet among all these evils I seem to live so sweetly that may I die if I would change places with the Persian King."

Johann Joachim Becher (phlogistonist)
Acta Laboratorii Chymica Monacensis, seu Physica Subterranea, (1669).

Friday, September 18, 2009

Modern Chemistry (Sets)

My neighbor is planning to buy a chemistry set for her son (second grade) and she asked me for some suggestions. It was a chemistry set that I received back in second or third grade many years ago that sent me down the path to a career in chemistry, so I thought I’d spend a little time trying to find a good one. I’ve talked about this before, but they just don’t make chemistry sets the way they used to. Perhaps for safety reasons, perhaps for environmental reasons, perhaps for liability concerns – there just are not that many chemicals in chemistry sets any more. And that’s a real shame.

My chemistry set (Chemcraft) had plenty of chemicals in it, and there were plenty more you could order. These days, you are lucky to find ten chemicals in a set, sometimes as few as two or three. I did find a Thames and Kosmos set which contained 20 different chemicals, but many of them were boring and the set cost about $250! I finally suggested a less expensive version of the Thames and Kosmos set to my neighbor. Of all the sets I checked out, it appeared to be the best one. The deciding factor was the inclusion of potassium permanganate. Even my old chem. set didn’t have that one. How did permanganate slip through the safety police?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pretty cool place you've got here. Thanx for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to them. I would like to read more soon.

Translation Agency said...

cool.This modern chemistry is really great.

Petroleum Chemicals said...

Blogs are so interactive where we get lots of informative on any topics nice job keep it up !!

stock market in Karachi said...

Blogs are good for every one where we get lots of information for any topics nice job keep it up !!!

Business VoIP Providers said...

Nice indeed and developing my interest though.
business voip providers

Kimia Kelas X said...

Very nice, Sir.
I love chemistry too, because very good to know. It's all about our world.
Thank you.

Best Regards
Ilmu Kimia

Water Chemical Solution said...

Nice post.
Than you for your information.
Water Chemical Solution