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Monday, January 21, 2013

Home science

Today I started looking for information on contamination (because it's flu season and people near me have been touched), but ended up finding out about home science, especially chemistry.  Chemistry can be fun (and not just the "better living through chemistry" kind).  It's complex work that requires caution, skill, knowledge and being in tune with what you're doing.  A healthy respect for the reagents is also needed.

Below are three videos looking a difference aspects of chemistry.  This first one is a safety video that's somewhat incomplete.  Note that last bit of info about pathways.  Also there is an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) available for every chemical that can be purchased.  Yes, household products are chemicals too.


This second video is about where to get lab chemicals.  Note that the speaker, Robert Bruce Thompson (aka TheHomeScientist), mentions early in the film that buying chemicals can attract the attention of law enforcement.  Also I didn't know that home science is somewhat a movement; looks like there's a lot of homeschooling and inventing going on (I'm studiously avoiding any other possible uses).


In this third video are some tips from ChemicalMyst, mostly about lab equipment, which can be expensive.  I think I'd pass on the glass distillation chamber (been burned too many times on other projects).


And for simple fun here's SteveSpanglerScience with color-changing milk:


What I see is -- soap, being a surfactant, changes the surface tension.  What do you see?

-- Marge

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