Things we won’t be talking much about

The first response most people have when I tell them I have a home chemistry lab is either “why do you have a meth lab in your basement?” or “do you make explosives?”  The answer to both is “no,” and I’m a bit saddened that this is the first things people think about when they think about chemistry.

I completely understand the fascination – explosions are fun to witness, and the thought of a meth lab in an acquaintance’s basement is titillating.

But here’s something most people don’t realize: in addition to being wildly dangerous (and generally illegal without the proper permissions), they’re really boring from a chemistry standpoint.

Nearly all combustion and explosion reactions are a variant on the following theme:

Fuel + Oxygen + Spark = (lots of) Energy + Byproducts

In addition to being illegal and boring, these are unimaginative fields for a home lab to pursue.  Chemistry is a wildly diverse and creative field.  To only focus on drugs and explosions is incredibly short-sighted and self-limiting.

This blog purposefully will not spend much time talking about drugs or explosions.  Not because they’re not interesting, but because there’s so much more to talk about.

Here is a (very brief) list of things that are interesting and could easily be explored in a home lab:

• Ferrofluid
• Luminol
• Food chemistry/molecular gastronomy
• Metal patinas and finishes
• Electrochemistry – batteries, fuel cells, etc
• Plant extracts
• Polymers (rayon, nylon, etc)
• Nanoparticles (nano gold particles glow purple!)
• Dyes, inks, pigments, paints, and coatings
• Perfumes, scents, etc
• Soap
• Biodiesel
• Water (seriously – water is the wierdest material ever)
• Bucky balls, bucky sheets, bucky tubes (aka carbon nanotubes), etc

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