Make Your Own Chemicals
How To Purify Alcohol Using Distillation
Denatured alcohol is toxic. If you need pure ethanol, you can purify denatured, contaminated or impure alcohol using distillation. Here's how to do it.
How to Prepare Gases
Here are simple instructions for preparing common gases from ordinary chemicals. The gases include carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorine, and several others.
Ammonia - How to Prepare Ammonia Gas
These are instructions for preparing ammonia gas from ammonium chloride and calcium hydroxide in water.
Carbon Dioxide - How to Prepare Carbon Dioxide Gas
These are instructions for preparing carbon dioxide gas from calcium carbonate and hydrochloric acid.
Chlorine Gas - How to Prepare Chlorine Gas
These are instructions for preparing chlorine gas from potassium permanganate and hydrochloric acid.
Copper Sulfate Preparation
Make copper sulfate or copper sulphate yourself from copper and sulfuric acid.
Hot Ice Video Tutorial
Hot ice is a non-toxic chemical you can make in the kitchen from baking soda and vinegar. You can cause the saturated solution of hot ice to crystallize in 'ice' that gives of heat or you can build crystalline towers as you pour the hot ice onto a container. Here a step-by-step video that shows you what to do.
How to Make Hydrogen Gas
It's easy to generate hydrogen gas using common household materials. Here's how to make hydrogen safely.
Potassium Chlorate from Bleach and Salt Substitute
Potassium chlorate is an important potassium compound that can be used as an oxidizer, disinfectant, source of oxygen, and component in pyrotechnics and chemistry demonstrations. You can make potassium chlorate from common household bleach and salt substitute.
How to Make Nitrous Oxide or Laughing Gas
Nitrous oxide or laughing gas is one of the easiest gases to prepare in the chem lab or home lab. Here are instructions for synthesizing and collection nitrous oxide or laughing gas.
Nitrogen Triiodide
Learn how to prepare nitrogen triiodide, an unstable compound that can be used to perform a stunning chemistry demonstration.
Potassium Nitrate Recipe
Make potassium nitrate (saltpeter) from common household ingredients. Potassium chloride from lite salt and ammonium nitrate from a cold pack are reacted to yield potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride. This is an easy way to make your own potassium chloride if you can't find it in a store or just want to try a fun chemistry experiment.
Silica or Pure Sand
Sand that you find on a beach consists of several minerals and organic matter. If you could separate out the impurities, you would have pure sand, which is silica or silicon dioxide. Here is how to prepare pure sand yourself in the lab.
Sodium Carbonate from Baking Soda
These are easy instructions for making sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda or soda ash, from baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.
Sulfuric Acid at Home
Sulfuric acid is a useful acid to have on hand for home chemistry projects. However, it is not easy to obtain. Fortunately, you can make it yourself.
How To Make Graphene
The discovery of graphene, a honeycomb sheet of carbon, was so important it earned a Nobel Prize, yet graphene isn't an exotic material. You can make it yourself!