Chemists & household chemicals

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Because they were proud to be known to die for their cause? Seems impossible to any normal person, but these suicide bombers are brain washed.

[Andrew Gabriel]

As a teenager, I used to buy chemicals from our local chemist. They were rarely in stock, but they had two deliveries a day as needed to get the more obscure prescription in drugs anyway, and could order chemicals in the same way. I've still got a bottle of ferric chloride from back then (used for etching circuit boards). I remember ordering all sorts of things for doing chemistry experimentation at the time.

I often wonder if kids still do any practical work in chemistry lessons nowadays. I'm pretty certain they wouldn't be allowed to do a number of the things we did.

[Chip]

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 15:46:35 +0100,it is alleged that "Dave Plowman (News)" spake thusly in uk.d-i-y:

I'd have given him the third degree back, as to what the hell he was doing in business as a chemist if he doesn't want to sell chemicals.

Maplin electronics, 9.99 for a litre.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't think they're used by a druggie, but by a dealer to 'cut' the drug into larger but weaker portions to increase profits. A bit like watering beer. ;-)

[Doctor Evil]

"Dave Plowman (News)" made things up in message news: [e-mail]...

I'm not surprise. I wouldn't let you near matches.

[Doctor Evil]

You have to put yourslef in the Chemists place. If dribbling, babbling scruffy sod walked in, you would have to ask questions. No doubt he gave him half and watched him go out the door, just in case he drank it.

[Egremont]

Something else I've never been able to get is Plaster of Paris, as recommended by Jackson / Day to fix a broken ceiling. Perhaps it's now branded as "Arm Fixer" in Chemists or "Fast Setting Ceiling Fixer" in B&Q, or maybe I need to find an outlet that supplies my local A&E unit...

RE my original post, I was starting to think Al Quaeda must be making bombs out of Aspirin or something - I can't even get something to clean up a brass letterbox from my local Chemists. But maybe I just need to find a better one.

Egremont.

[Peter Riocreux]

Did you try your nearest Greene King pub .....

Peter

[Dave Plowman (News)]

And what was your answer? Of course he wouldn't have understood it.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Wonder which does more harm to your guts? ;-)

[Chris Hodges]

Try a homebrew shop for citric acid (small-ish quantities anyway)

[bigcat]

The chemists makret is more drugs than what we think of as 'chemicals.' You can probably get more 'chemicals' from the cleaning section at tesco.

NT

[Frank Erskine]

I spoke to a pharmacist pal of mine a while ago, and he reckons that "chemists" are no longer allowed to "make up" medicines, apart from very simple mixtures.

Their pharmacoepia (sp?) (a pharmacy reference book) used to have various formulae - alas no more. It simply describes drugs from various manufacturers.

Virtually all medicines have to be proprietary, so any odd "chemicals" they may have will be simply used alone, so there's no need for them to stock saltpetre, flowers of sulphur, etc.

[Ian]

| > Wow, the things you miss by not being a druggie. | | Don't think they're used by a druggie, but by a dealer to 'cut' the drug | into larger but weaker portions to increase profits. A bit like watering | beer. ;-) | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Possibly, but according to

"In order to inject brown heroin or crack cocaine an acid must be added to make the drug dissolve. Anxieties amongst pharmacists and shopkeepers have led to severe restrictions in the supply of citric acid in some areas. The consequence of this has been an increase in the use of lemon juice and vinegar as acidifiers, despite the additional risks that are associated with the use of these substances."

The anxiety to pharmacists stemmed from the threat that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society might take action against them if they were selling the stuff and it got used for this purpose, so many just stopped - it was simpler. Users found it easier to buy it from home wine-making outlets.

Ian

[PC Paul]

Well found, Sir!

Nice to know why.

[Chip]

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 19:47:50 GMT,it is alleged that "PC Paul" spake thusly in uk.d-i-y:

Yeesh, liability society.

Sad really, "no, we won't supply you with a bottle of mineral water in case you decide to inhale it and drown".

[Peter Lynch]

No, of course you can't, it's just another tabloid fantasy . What are they saying about the bombers: 4 people with 10kg bombs, that's 40kg of explosives Can you imagine going into your local Boots and asking for

20kg of big-bang sulphate and 20kg of kabluey nitrate

Apart from the issues of the chemicals themselves, they simply wouldn't have the quantity and would probably report you for even trying to buy it. The problem is that there is very little _hard facts_ available yet but because of the size of the story, papers have to pad out what they have to fill space. If they just printed the facts, it probably wouldn't cover half a page total.

p.s. If you want conc. HCl for descaling, buy "spirits of salts" from a plumbing outlet. it's nasty stuff, so avoid unless you know what you're doiing.

Pete

[Badger]

Good schools still do some practical, sat through a basic chem/phys lesson recently, though 1 mol HCl isn't very strong they still issue full safety gear, chatting about 1.16sg HCl, fuming nitric, HF and 100 twaddle caustic I use with the teacher made a few other parents present a bit worried, can't think why ;-)

[Andy Dingley]

It's unlikely they used that (it's ferociously difficult), but are you aware there _are_ pyro uses for aspirin ?

[Andy Dingley]

Why should they ? University courses are closing, more than any other science (except medicine) a postgrad chemist is regarded as a worthless bottlewasher until they have at least a doctorate. And there's no work for chemists, even with good degrees and experience.