211,939 Views • Apr 4, 2019 • Click to toggle off description
In this video, I answer a question that I've been getting for a long time. I also give some of my thoughts about the dangers of doing chemistry as a hobby.
One thing I forgot to mention though, was waste. Waste management is a huge part of chemistry and it can't be overlooked. If you aren't interested in handling and disposing of waste properly and safely, then chemisty isn't for you.
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Views : 211,939
Genre: Science & Technology
Date of upload: Apr 4, 2019 ^^
Rating : 4.97 (69/9,022 LTDR)
RYD date created : 2022-04-08T15:10:57.084012Z
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@hoggif
5 years ago
There are lots of legal restrictions too (depending on country you live in). Some chemicals are regulated and it may not be legal to make them either. Making pharmaceuticals can be illegal too. I mean rather innocent ones like aspirine or ibuprofene, not drugs like meth. For example EU regulates items like nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide (precursors for explosives) and both EU and US regulate many chemicals considered a precursor for drugs or a chemical needed for some drug related synthesis steps (like some allotropes of phosphorus). When I studied chemistry it was mostly a combination of theory (reading lots of books and listening lectures about why some stuff happens) and then trying those up in the lab. In the lab you need good habits for safety that can be difficult to figure out yourself. It is also very easy to slip into bad habbits when there is nobody else correcting you constantly like in a shared lab. Everyone working in a lap needs a habit of reading msds sheets for all chemicals you use and preferably everything you make too. That gives you quickly some sense like assuming most bromides are bad for you and most oxidesers come with fire and/or explosion hazard. Of cause the general rules are not enough but they are good to learn as well. I think hobby chemistry can be very limited in some countries (like no nitrations to get amines due to lack of nitric acid or at least a lot of paperwork to get some). You may need to be very careful if for example manufacturing any pharmaceutical agent is illegal. In a professional lab it was much easier with no such constraints.
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