I first got interested in what I call amateur chemistry during an introductory chemistry class my sophomore year in high school. Looking back, it is odd that this class sparked my scientific curiosity. The teacher was less than inspiring and seemed most concerned about formulaic memorization and his own quips and mannerisms. Nevertheless, while he paraphrased the chapter on double displacement reactions, I reached an epiphany of sorts. I realized that I could easily perform some of the reactions my textbook gave with everyday household items. Armed with the new knowledge of a class of reactions, I could now seemingly accurately predict the results of hundreds of chemical reactions between ionic compounds in aqueous solution. I went through scores of chemical permutations in my head and searched for a combination of household chemicals that would react with one another. It was surprisingly simple to discover a successful match and I soon formulated my first chemistry hypothesis: A solution of baking soda will react with a solution of Epsom salts to form solid magnesium carbonate. As soon as I got home that day, I hastily scrounged the house for the required reagents, dissolved them both in water, and then mixed the two solutions together. A milky white precipitate instantly formed, and I immediately knew the reaction occurred as I had predicted.
I suppose the notion of chemical transmutation drives my passion for experimentation. The ability to alter matter in such a fundamental way, to change its inherent structure, is a fascinating and almost mystical power. In my makeshift laboratory with relatively simple equipment, I witness nascent gases, chameleonic colors, brilliant flashes of luminosity, and the vigorous evolution of heat. It is the orderly rearrangement of trillions of atoms and molecules that provokes such wonderful changes, and even though these microscopic transformations lie beyond our perception, chemistry can model their behavior, theorize their structure, and ultimately explain what can be beautiful macroscopic observations.
With the simple baking soda and Epsom salt precipitation reaction, I now not only could make magnesium carbonate, but evaporating the reacted solution after filtering would yield sodium sulfate. If I wanted magnesium oxide, I could simply heat my magnesium carbonate to decompose it. If I wanted magnesium chloride, I could react the magnesium carbonate with muriatic acid.
I now realize that with several long enough strings of chemical reactions like this one, it is possible to make almost any chemical imaginable from household starting materials. Of course, this forces me to deviate far from the simple double displacement reactions that I started out with. My discoveries have taught me the oversimplifications of textbooks and the many exceptions to the mnemonic devices my teacher purported. More importantly, however, my lab has encouraged me to learn much more about chemistry. Some projects have also fostered learning in other fields such as biology, mechanical engineering, and electronics.
The only theoretical restriction to the breadth of amateur chemistry is the household sources of different elements. For example, it is exceedingly difficult to investigate the possible chemotherapeutic nature of rare earth salts in the home lab because there are only a handful of practical applications for the lanthanides. Generally, however, if you have compounds that are comprised of the same elements as the target compound, then a route to its synthesis exists. With this optimistic attitude and an avaricious passion for chemistry, it is possible to synthesize scores of chemicals with fascinating properties.
As a chemist working in my basement, I place two major restrictions on my activity. I work only with microscale quantities of chemicals when at all possible or practical. I value my own safety over experimentation. This is especially important anytime I perform a reaction for the first time even if I am theoretically certain of what products will form because as Kolthoff states "theory guides; experiment decides"- you never know what will actually happen. If I am initiating a reaction just for curiosity’s sake, then there is generally no reason to do so on a large scale. This rule also has practical reasoning- the more chemicals I use in a reaction, the more I have to buy or make to replace them.
The second restriction I place on myself is far more nebulous than the first when evaluated in any pragmatic sense. I only use chemicals that can be purchased and utilized by individuals who have no working knowledge of chemistry. This means that all of the chemicals in my makeshift laboratory are commonly found in many homes and businesses. I buy my chemicals from grocery, hardware, pool, and other common stores. I do not order any chemicals from chemical or online suppliers. I do allow myself, however, to purchase necessary equipment like hot plates, beakers, etc. from these suppliers. This rule is primarily one I adhere to because of personal preference, but sometimes it can also be financially advantageous (although in rare cases, disadvantageous). There are many key chemicals that are in most laboratories that are not available in any convenient household form. One of my constant challenges is to make these necessary chemicals from what I have. I could easily go out and buy a lot of chemicals that I need, but that defeats the entire purpose behind my work. My goal is to witness the wonders of chemistry with a hands-on approach. My efforts to synthesize chemicals not only invaluably expand my knowledge base, but they give me a wonderful sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
In backyard chemistry, I have found something with which I can fall in love and become obsessed- a limitless world that pushes both my creativity and scholastic persistence. Now as a graduate student, I attribute an overwhelming portion of my academic success to my dabbling in amateur chemistry. My experience as an experimenter at home invigorates my chemistry at school. I have been working in professional chemistry laboratory setting for almost four years during which time I coauthored papers in Inorganic Chemistry, Langmuir, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. I am on track to have a fourth publication soon, and recently received a Master of Science in chemistry. This year, I received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and am just now beginning my graduate studies in inorganic chemistry.
Even though I am fully enveloped by the constant toil of an academic environment, I always look longingly towards amateur chemistry, and I strive, with the help of this website, to keep my hobby strong. I hope you enjoy my work and please e-mail me at admin at backyardchem dot com (at & dot com are spelled out to avoid spam) with any questions, comments, or ideas of your own. I would love to hear from you.
As a general disclaimer, please do not attempt to duplicate any of the experiments outlined on this website without the proper safety precautions. Most of the chemicals described here are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or some combination of the three. They can lead to disastrous consequences if not handled properly.