- Common chemicals
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Table of common chemical ingredients and where to find them
Chemical name Chemical formula Common name Where to buy Specific brand or product Acetic acid CH3COOH + H2O 5% Solution: White vinegar Supermarket Any brand of white vinegar Notes: In supermarkets, acetic acid is available in concentrations up to 31%. Acetone CH3COCH3 Nail polish remover
Paint removerDiscount store Onyx, Cutex Notes: While composition varies from product to product, paint removers will contain more acetone per volume than regular nail polish remover, and industrial grade (rather than consumer grade) paint removers used by professionals and sold in bulk will contain more acetone still. Some stores sell pure acetone as well.[1] Ammonium carbonate (NH4)2CO3 Bakers ammonia drugstores None Notes: Baker's ammonia can be found in drugstores. Ammonium hydroxide NH4OH 10% Solution: Household ammonia
27% Solution: Strong ammoniaSupermarket (for household ammonia)
Drug store (for strong ammonia)None Notes: Combine household ammonia and strong ammonia with water. Boric acid H3BO3 Boric acid Drug store None Notes: Often sold as a roach killer Calcium carbonate CaCO3 Chunks: Marble, limestone
Powder: Precipitated chalkBuilder's supplies (for chunk)
Drug store (for powder)None Notes: Calcium chloride CaCl2 Laundry aid
Laundry salt
Road saltSupermarket
Hardware storeNone Notes: Many chemicals are used to melt snow. Make certain that if you purchase road salt it is pure calcium chloride. Calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 Slaked lime, garden lime Gardening Department None Notes: Used to reduce the acidity of soil. Calcium oxide CaO Quicklime Builder's supplies None Notes: Calcium sulfate (CaSO4) * H2O
CaSO4 * 2H2OPlaster of Paris or
GypsumHardware store None Notes: Copper(II) sulfate CuSO4 Blue Vitrol
Cupric SulfateHardware Store Zep Root Kill, Rooto Root Kill Notes: Sold at Home Depot as Zep Root Kill or at Ace Hardware as Rooto Root Kill. Reacting the Copper II Sulfate dissolved in water with Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) will produce Copper Carbonate and CO2. Glucose C6H12O6 + H2O Corn syrup Supermarket None Notes: Glucose is a monosaccharide that, as a sweetener, is commonly found as a syrup. It is generally produced from corn starch. Hydrochloric acid HCl + H2O 25% Solution: Muriatic acid Hardware store The Works Notes: Commonly used to bleach concrete. Found in high concentrations in silverware cleaning solutions. It is also less frequently found in high concentrations in drain cleaners such as the works, however, drain cleaners also contain detergents which can introduce destabilizing impurities to chemical compounds. Hydrofluoric acid HF + H2O Automotive store Aluminum brightener & tire cleaner Notes: Best known for its ability to dissolve glass. Found in high concentrations in commercial tire cleaning solutions. Professional grade tire cleaning solutions, such as those bought in bulk by car dealerships, are typically more concentrated than consumer grade products. Must be stored in polyethylene or Teflon containers, and is very hazardous. Magnesium sulfate MgSO4 *7H2O Epsom salts Drug store None Notes: Manganese dioxide MnO2 Pyrolusite Hardware stores None Notes: Pyrolusite can be extracted from certain types of batteries, called dry cells, but its use is becoming rare. Naphthalene C10H8 Mothballs Hardware store None Notes: Mothballs may also be made of (para)dichlorobenzene. Oxalic acid H2C2O4 + 2H2O Non-chlorine bleach powder cleanser Grocery, hardware, and large discount stores Bar Keepers Friend Notes: Potassium nitrate KNO3 Saltpeter, saltpetre Hardware store, garden center, supermarket Grants stump remover Notes: Potassium nitrate is used as stump remover, fertilizer, and meat preservative. Potassium sodium tartrate NaKC4H4O6 * 4H2O Rochelle salt Drug store None Notes: Sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 Baking soda, bicarbonate of soda Supermarket Arm & Hammer Notes: Be careful to use only single action baking soda when sodium bicarbonate is required. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, but baking powder has other ingredients, such as potassium tartrate and sodium monophosphate. Double action baking powder contains single action baking powder, a 'high temperature acid' which is a gas formed at room temperature when moistened, and corn starch, which is added as a drying agent to prevent accidental activation. Sodium carbonate Na2CO3 Washing Soda Supermarket Arm & Hammer Notes: Sodium chloride NaCl Salt, table salt Supermarket None Notes: Canning or pickling salts tend not to have iodine added, so are more pure. Sodium hydroxide NaOH Lye, caustic soda Hardware Store Drano, Rooto Drain Opener(100% Pure) Notes: Keep out of eyes, can cause blindness. Sodium tetraborate Na2B4O7 * 10H2O Borax Drug stores, supermarket None Notes: Sucrose C12H22O11 Table sugar Supermarket None Notes: Sucrose is the name for table sugar, which is made from sugar beets and sugarcane. Sulfuric acid H2SO4 Sulfuric acid, vitriol Hardware store Pro Liquid Drain Cleaner Notes: This is a very difficult chemical to find in concentrated form at a hardware store. Most chemistry experiments or processes require the use of sulfuric acid in concentrations above 85% for optimum results. Car batteries contain only 40% concentration, and depending on state of charge can contain large amounts of lead sulfate. Battery acid can easily be concentrated due to the much higher boiling point of the acid. Zinc chloride ZnClf + H2O Tinner's Fluid Hardware store None Notes: Also called "killed acid," zinc chloride can be created by dissolving a small amount of zinc in hydrochloric acid. Used for cleaning copper. References
Categories:- Chemistry lists
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