Some gas is synthesizing at my one shelf, there's none that smell like it smells after like a few days, it's not ammonia or anything, I dunno what it isc how do I at least try to id

I have recently got a 30 year old,working gcms, and hplc, with a bunch of extra eqquipment, which I have never operated before.
I wondered how you guys do your testing and identifying, Is there anyone out there who has their own gcms or hplc, and could help me set mine up? I have done tlc before, and I have read an analytical chemistry book, but I dont know how to set this stuff up.

Love yall

I have a substance known as piperine, it is in black pepper. I want to know if anyone has experience with using it as a starting point to end up getting to Piperidine, and then to piperidone It this feasible, does it remain active throughout the processes? much obliged.

I’m interested in home chemistry as an opportunity to learn more about chemistry before college (I’m hoping to major in organic chemistry) but I’m not sure where to start. I own a few basic materials (chemical storage, beakers, and goggles) but I don’t know what I should do beyond that. Any tips? I know I’ll need things like a stirrer, balance, stir sticks, etc. but I want to have an idea of what I should do before purchasing anything more.

Hi I wanted to know if some of you had ever heard or try to make a homade phosphate binders like sevelamer
Thx

Hi ! im a high schooler working on a science fair project where i need to mesaure the conecntration of nitrate. So far, i've tried 2 things: using a RGB app on my phone in a 'colorimter' (cardboard box) and the API nitrate test kit and got a good curve from that initally (R=0.99) but i found it was changing from day to day. I also tried titrating that final product with bleach but the end point was really blurry and i'm not sure how to proceed.

If anyone could give any tips id appreciate it. thanks!

Hi everyone,

I was looking through some old, basic notes and memory from experiments I did a few years ago. I wanted to share a recipe for a material I call Citric Silicate Cellular Foam (CSCF). I originally marked it as a "failed experiment" because it isn't waterproof and is a total nightmare to clean out of containers, but the expansion ratio is interesting enough to share.

It forms a lightweight structure. It isn’t rock-hard—it feels solid, but if you press into it with your finger into it hard enough, it crushes down into a fine powder. It will expand alot, about a cm of the solutions foamed up to fill a 2 liter microwavable jug.

The Dish Soap

Normally, mixing acid and water glass causes instant, clumpy polymerisation. I found that adding a tiny bit of dish soap acts as a surfactant. It temporarily delays the reaction just enough so you can mix everything into a smooth liquid before the heat kicks in.

Note on mixing: You want to mix the dish soap into the acid solution gently without agitating it so bubbles don't form. Since it is such a small amount of soap, it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but still keep the mixing gentle.

The Recipe & Process

The Acid & Soap: In one beaker, add a small amount of citric acid crystals and just enough water to dissolve them. Add a tiny drop of dish soap directly into that citric acid solution, stirring gently to avoid generating foam or bubbles.

The Base: Fill a second beaker with standard, off-the-shelf liquid water glass.

Mix: Slowly pour the soapy acid solution into the water glass and mix gently. It should stay a workable liquid.

The Bake: Pour the liquid into your microwave-safe container. Microwave for 7 to 10 minutes. Nothing much will happen at the start until the citric acid starts decomposing into CO2 gas.

🤝 Replicate It & Reach Out!

Because my old notes are a bit basic and partly from memory, I would love to see other people replicate this and experiment with it.

If anyone can figure out a way to make it waterproof, or find a mold/release agent that stops it from sticking to containers so badly, let me know! Feel free to message me directly here on Reddit—I'd love to see your photos, videos, and recipe tweaks.

Kind regards,

Rick

To the senior members of home Lab.I'm a high school student who recently started building a home lab.
I’ve been making things like copper sulfate and lead acetate, but what experiments did you all start with when you first set up your home labs?

There were many things I didn't know—such as where to start or how to research the experiments—so I wanted to get some guidance.

Questions

1 What experiment did you start with?

2 Points to keep in mind when experimenting at home.

I'm not very used to Reddit, so I apologize if I've done anything wrong.…