/sci/ - Science & Math

>>8138729
Thanks, will check this one out!

I also got a book called Classics in Total Synthesis, but it's a bit dense and I haven't been able to get stuck into it.

> be 14
> had a massive interest in organic chemistry
> got a book of experiments and started amassing commercially available chemicals like magnesium sulfate and sodium hydroxide
> my grandfather was a farmer and gave me nitric acid (can't even remember what farmers used it for, I think it had something to do with cleaning out pasteurization tanks), concentrated formaldehyde and ammonium nitrate.
> mom worked at a pharmacy and mentioned the pharmacist I was looking for chemicals
> he was a really old dude from back when pharmacists were the real deal
> gave me concentrated sulfuric acid, potassium permanganate, and oxalic acid. They were in vintage bottles circa 1940's with sweet imprinted labels, but he poured it into bottles because he didn't want to part with them.
> scrooge had chloroform but he wouldn't give me any
> do a lot of experiments working with potassium permangate, making salts with interesting colours
> read in chemistry books that acid base reactions are exothermic
> how exothermic
> calculate stoichiometric quantity of NaOH needed to neutralize however many moles of sulfuric acid
> literally pour a beaker of sodium hydroxide pellets into a beaker of H2SO4
> reactions superheats and starts flying all over the place
> cover eyes and start stumbling backwards terrified
> open eyes
> stains on the concrete all around me in the garage
> miraculously it all missed me

> 15
> doctor won't prescribe me sleeping pills because I'm too young
> gather all the chemicals and apparatus for a synthesis of chloral hydrate
> piece of important glassware breaks shortly before I'm ready to commence and give up
> realize years later that the evolved chlorine gas with no proper outlet could have badly maimed my respiratory tract

I'm a pharmaceutical chemist now and I still have all my old chemicals and glassware locked up at home. I think messing with different ideas would be more better now that I actually know what I'm doing, I'll miss the spark of exploration tho