Finding Chemicals

Links to the MSDS will be posted.

Acetic acid - Active ingredient in vinegar. Usually bought at 5-10%. Cleaning vinegar is often the same as regular vinegar however some brands might be impure. Glacial acetic acid is the name for 99% acetic acid. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922769

Acetylsalicylic acid - Active ingredient in aspirin. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922977

Acetone - Sold as nailpolish remover or paint remover. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927062

Ammonium hydroxide - Sold as ammonia cleaners. This is ammonia dissolved in water. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9922918

Ammonium nitrate - Sold in cold packs. Last time I gave blood, I kept a few. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927336

Boric acid - Sold as a roach killer. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927105

Capsaicin - The spice in peppers. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923296

Calcium acetate - Made from the reaction between calcium carbonate and acetic acid. If calcium carbonate is in excess, it is easy to separate since CaCO3 isn't very soluble and Ca(OOCH3)2 is. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923243

Calcium carbonate - Main component of eggshells and TUMS. Forms the calcium deposits from hard water. Also is one of the components of wood ash. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927119

Calcium chloride - Sold as a road salt in hardware stores. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923251

Calcium gluconate - Sold by feed stores, veterinarian markets, and other similar stores. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923255

Calcium hypochlorite - Sold as a non-bleach chlorinating agent in pool supply stores. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927478

Calcium oxide - Sold under the name quicklime. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927480

Chlorine - Can be obtained by running electrolysis on a chloride salt. DO NOT BREATHE IN FUMES. http://www.praxair.com/-/media/documents/sds/chlorine-cl-2safety-data-sheet-sds-p4580.pdf

Citric acid - Found in citric fruits but is produced commercially from a fungus. This compound can easily be bought online or from canning stores. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923494

Copper - Can be obtained from pipes or wiring. Do not obtain from pennies since they are only coated in copper. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923549

Copper hydroxide - Easily made from electrolysis with copper electrodes or from the reaction of copper sulfate and lye. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923594

Copper sulfate - Sold as a root killer, a fungicide, and in pool supplies to color pools blue. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923597

Dextrose - A sugar that is easily found in stores or online. Can be bought as corn syrup. Make sure the label says dextrose or D-glucose since sucrose is the most common sugar in stores. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927149

Dihydrogen monoxide - Common name is water. If you need reasonably pure water, buy distilled water. Distilled water is pure enough for most home lab needs. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927321

Dimethyl sulfoxide - Sold by feed stores, veterinarian markets, and other similar stores. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927347

Ethanol - Active ingredient in all alcoholic beverages. Ethanol is also the major component of denatured alcohol (do not drink denatured alcohol as it is purposefully made dangerous to ingest). http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9923955

Ferric oxide - Also called Iron(III) oxide. This is one of the common forms of rust. It is quite probable that any iron oxide gathered would be a combination of different iron oxide compounds. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924041

Glycerol - Sold by pharmacies and some food stores. Usually goes by the name glycerin. Can also be made by heating triglycerides (animal fats) with water (sodium/potassium [meth/eth]oxide works well as a catalyst). http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927350

Glyphosate - Active ingredient in RoundUp and various other herbicides. https://www.lakerestoration.com/pdf/GlyphosateMSDS.pdf

Gold - Can come from jewelry or electronics. Might need purification depending on need. http://www.princeton.edu/prism/mnfl/current-users/safety/msds/Gold.pdf

Hydrochloric acid - Sold as muriatic acid. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924285

Isopropanol - Also called isopropyl alcohol or 2-propanol. This is the alcohol found in rubbing alcohol. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924412

Magnesium sulfate - Found in a hydrated form in Epsom salt. To make anhydrous, heat in an oven. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9926025

Methanol - Sold to remove water from gas tanks. Brand name is HEET. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927227

Naphthalene - Most common ingredient in old mothballs. Newer mothballs use a different active ingredient. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927671

Nitric acid - Sold to etch and clean concrete. Can also be made from nitric salts and strong acids (toxic gases are released). https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9926241

Oxalic acid - Sold as a non-chlorine bleach. A common brand is Bar Keepers Friend®. Oxalic acid might need to be extracted. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9926346

Oleic acid - The primary fatty acid found in olive oil. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927682

Phosphoric acid - If purity isn't needed, most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid. Rust removers are a good source of it in a more concentrated form. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927393

Potassium chloride - Sold as a fertilizer, a salt for water softeners, and is one of the salts in Lite Salt. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927402

Potassium Nitrate - Sold as a stump remover. Also goes by the name saltpater. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927232

Propylene glycol - Sold by feed stores, veterinarian markets, and other similar stores. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927239

Sodium acetate - Also called sodium ethanoate. Used to flavor vinegar flavored chips. Can be made from acetic acid and sodium carbonate or bicarbonate (or lye but won't be good for food). Can make supersaturated solutions called hot ice. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924952

Sodium bicarbonate - Also called sodium hydrogen carbonate or baking soda. Pool supply stores tend to carry this under various names and charge a lot for it. Pool section in Walmart does sell food grade baking soda at a relatively cheap cost (cheaper than the food section). https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927258

Sodium carbonate - Common name is washing soda. This is sold as a cleaner. Walmart sells as a non-acidic coffee maker cleaner. Unfortunately, this is rather expensive. Sodium carbonate can be made quickly by placing baking soda in a glass container then heating at 200C (about 400F). The time required to do this to 99% purity increases with thickness of powder in container. A thin layer may be made in half an hour. An inch of baking soda may take a few hours to fully break down. This is one of the components of wood ash. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927263

Sodium chloride - Table salt. Sometimes mixed with other salts. This is also found to make up 99% of some salt blocks sold with ranch supplies. This is one of the components of wood ash. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593

Sodium hydroxide - Common name is lye. This is sold in its salt form or dissolved in some drain cleaners. This is one of the components of wood ash. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924998

Sodium hypochlorite - Common name is bleach. This salt is typically found at 10% in bleach. The other 90% is water. The cheaper the brand, usually the more pure the compound. More expensive brands add other whitening agents. This is also sold as a rather expensive chlorinating agent in some pool supply stores. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9925000

Sodium tetraborate - Sold under the name Borax. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924968

Sucrose - Common sugar. Sold as cane sugar. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927285

Sulfuic acid - The acid in car batteries is sulfuric acid. A more dilute form is sold as a drain cleaner. This can be purified and concentrated up to 98% in most general labs. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9925146

Toluene - Sold as a paint thinner/solvent. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927301

Urea - Sold as a fertilizer. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927317

Uric acid - Found in urine. Although some homeopathy stores sell it, you can acquire it cheaper and more concentrated online. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9925393

Xylene - Xylene is sold as a paint thinner. Often called xylenes because it is a mixture of the meta, para, and ortho xylene. https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927646

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