May

1

The Right Chemistry.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

May 1, 2008 |

chemistry.jpgWhen I was fourteen I got my first chemistry set, and my father gave me a small workbench in the basement where I could conduct experiments. I became a serious chemistry nut. My allowance and any extra money I earned started going to the Rock City Machine Company, which is still in business, and which supplied me with test tubes, Erlenmeyer flasks, distillation flasks, and all your basic laboratory glassware. I picked up a piece of lead from the road, and discovered an alcohol flame can get hot enough to melt lead. I also “borrowed” chemicals like baking soda and vinegar from my mother’s kitchen, and then moved on to buying sulfur and other chemicals at the drugstore. My grandfather gave me a bottle of mercury. Real mercury! The stuff in old thermometers ! One of my greatest joys came when a friend told me to mix potassium permanganate and glycerin…which creates a nice little explosion with a lot of smoke. Here’s a video of the mix:

Modern chemistry sets have been “defanged”, with anything even remotely interesting removed, but, fortunately, there’s The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson. In his introduction (which you can read here in its entirety) Thompson explains that he wrote the book after talking to his 14-year old neighbor who’s interested in science but her school doesn’t teach science very well, and there aren’t a lot of good books out there. Until now, anyway. And Thompson’s clear about how this is serious chemistry:

So what about the very real dangers involved in serious chemistry lab work? After all, some of the experiments in this book use concentrated acids, flammable liquids, corrosives, and poisons. In one experiment we manufacture napalm, for heaven’s sake. Will readers of this book be dropping like flies, blowing themselves up, burning the house down, or growing extra arms? Of course not. Dangers can be dealt with. One of the recurring lessons throughout this book is the importance of assuming personal responsibility for useful but dangerous actions—understanding the specific risks and taking the necessary steps to minimize or eliminate them.

He goes on to say, though, that readers will not “find instructions in this book for producing methamphetamine in your home lab or synthesizing other illegal substances. In short, if you plan to break the law, this book is not for you.” It is a book to help people who want to do fun and interesting experiments with stuff they can find easily and cheaply at the store or other places in their neighborhood.

Most readers of a book like this aren’t interested in breaking the law anyway. They’re interested in having fun with chemistry–with the side benefit that they’ll be learning about science in the process. The book is published by the same publisher that’s responsible for Forbidden LEGO: Build The Models Your Parents Warned You Against. Why not complement your study of chemistry with a study of physics as well?


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. Commander Mommy on May 1, 2008 3:07 pm

    It is kind of sad that the chemistry sets have all been ‘de-fanged’, as you put it. Experiments were something I always loved… though most of mine included microscopes and slides. Mom wasn’t keen on me blowing stuff up. :-( I’m kind of jealous.

    Maybe I can ammend that. :-)

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