• Acetic acid - You may need glacial (~ 99%) acetic acid for some purposes, but often a dilute solution suffices. Distilled white vinegar is very pure (FCC grade) acetic acid in 5% concentration (about 0.83 M). If necessary, you can concentrate it further by distillation. The low molarity makes vinegar less than ideal for synthesizing chemicals in bulk because so much is required and so much water must be removed to isolate the product, but it is suitable for making up dilute solutions (~ 0.1 M) of various acetate salts. (one pint or more)

• Acetone - Technical grade acetone, available by the pint, quart, or gallon in the paint section of any hardware store or home improvement center, is more than pure enough for routine lab use. It's useful as a general solvent, a chromatography solvent, as a final rinse when you synthesize a water-soluble chemical, and as a final rinse when you wash up your glassware. (one pint or more)

• Aluminum - Ordinary kitchen aluminum foil is fine for most purposes.

• Aluminum oxide (~ $3/pound as alumina from a pottery supplies store) is useful primarily for making your own thin-layer chromatography plates, at a cost of a few cents each versus a couple dollars each for commercial TLC plates. (If you want to make TLC plates, order a few ounces of alumina in the finest powder available.)

• Ammonia - The clear, non-sudsy household ammonia sold in supermarkets is actually reasonably pure 10% aqueous ammonia (~ 5.8 M), which is concentrated enough for most purposes, including syntheses. (Because ammonia is so extremely soluble even in boiling water, household ammonia cannot be concentrated by distillation. If you need a higher concentration, you'll need to buy it.) Buy the cheapest generic household ammonia and make sure it doesn't contain soap. Ammonia is used as-is in many experiments, and can be reacted with mineral acids or organic acids to form numerous salts, such as ammonium acetate, ammonium chloride, ammonium oxalate, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, and so on. (one quart)

• Ammonium acetate solution, 0.1 M - To make up 100 mL of this solution, add household ammonia dropwise (about 1.7 mL) to 12.0 mL of distilled white vinegar until the solution just turns red litmus paper blue and then dilute to 100 mL.
• Ammonium chloride solution, 0.1 M - To make up 100 mL of this solution, add 31.45% muriatic acid dropwise (about 1.0 mL) to about 1.7 mL of household ammonia until the solution just turns blue litmus paper red and then dilute to 100 mL.

• Ammonium nitrate - Although you can make ammonium nitrate by reacting ammonia with nitric acid, it's much cheaper to buy ammonium nitrate at a lawn and garden supply store, where it's sold in pure form in 1-pound to 50-pound bags as 33-0-0 or 34-0-0 fertilizer. Store separately from all other chemicals. (four ounces or more)

• Barium carbonate (~ $3/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with mineral acids, organic acids, or sodium hydroxide to produce barium chloride, barium nitrate, barium hydroxide, and other barium salts, for which you might otherwise have to pay several dollars for a 5 g to 25 g bottle. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize barium salts)

• Calcium carbonate - (~ $2/pound as whiting from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with mineral acids or organic acids to produce calcium acetate, calcium chloride, calcium nitrate, and other calcium salts. Ordinary blackboard chalk is also primarily calcium carbonate, as are some antacids. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize calcium salts)

• Carbon - you can buy carbon in the form of activated charcoal in some drugstores and the aquarium section of some pet stores. (one ounce or more)

• Cobalt carbonate (~ $50/pound or $4/ounce from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with hydrochloric acid to produce cobalt(II) chloride, or with nitric acid to produce cobalt(II) nitrate. We bought 1 ounce of cobalt carbonate and converted half an ounce each to cobalt chloride and cobalt nitrate. Because cobalt itself is quite expensive, the cost savings in making your own cobalt salts are less compelling than with most other syntheses. (one ounce or more, if you want to synthesize cobalt salts)

• Copper carbonate (~ $7/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with various acids to produce copper(II) acetate, copper(II) chloride, copper(II) nitrate, or even copper(II) sulfate. However, in this instance the pottery chemical price is actually more than it costs to buy copper(II) sulfate at the hardware store and react it with baking soda to make your own copper(II) carbonate. Buy copper(II) carbonate only if the convenience outweighs the higher price.

• Copper(II) sulfate - you can buy this chemical in very pure form in the plumbing section of hardware stores and home improvement centers as root killer. (Make sure the bottle lists copper(II) sulfate as the only ingredient). We bought a 2-pound bottle of Enforcer Drain Care Root Kill for about $8 at Lowes. It lists an assay on the label as 99% pure copper(II) sulfate, which is near reagent grade. Also available in pure form from pottery supply stores for ~$3.50/pound. Copper(II) sulfate is used as is in many experiments, and is also a useful precursor for making your own copper(II) carbonate, copper(II) chloride, copper(II) nitrate, and other copper salts. (four ounces or more)

• Citric acid - you can buy citric acid inexpensively and in very pure form (FCC) as "sour salt" in supermarkets. Citric acid is used in several common experiments and is also useful for making up buffer solutions and for synthesizing citrate salts. (one ounce or more)

• Distilled water - Water is a chemical just like any other. You'll need distilled water for general lab use, including making up solutions, rinsing glassware, and so on. You can buy it cheaply by the gallon at the supermarket. Make sure the label says "distilled" rather than "spring water" or something similar. (gallon or more)

• Ethanol - Ethanol is available in drugstores by the pint or quart in concentrations from 70% to 95%, under that name or as ethyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol. Note that most drugstore "rubbing alcohol" is actually isopropanol rather than ethanol. Drugstore ethanol is USP grade, which is extremely pure. Ethanol is useful as a general solvent, chromatography solvent, reactant, and as fuel for an alcohol burner. (Buy at least a pint of the 95% concentration, if available)

• Glycerol - sold under that name or as glycerin or glycerine (not glycin, which is an entirely different chemical) in drugstores, glycerin is used in some experiments and syntheses, but its primary uses in a home lab are for lubricating rubber stoppers and as a temporary mounting medium for microscope slides. (smallest available bottle)

• Hydrochloric acid - sold in hardware stores and home improvement centers as muriatic acid, and is generally quite pure. Concentrated hydrochloric acid from a lab supplier is about 37% (~ 12 M). Muriatic acid is available in several concentrations, from 14.5% (4.7 M, for lowering swimming pool pH) up to 29% (9.4 M) or 31.25% (10 M), for cleaning or etching concrete. The 29% or 31.45% concentrations typically cost a couple bucks a quart or five bucks a gallon. Either can be substituted for 37% hydrochloric acid for most purposes. (one quart to one gallon)

• Hydrogen peroxide - the 3% hydrogen peroxide sold in drugstores is useful for many experiments. You can also buy more concentrated hydrogen peroxide at a beautician's supply store. A pint of 12% H₂O₂ (called "40 volume") costs about $3. Higher concentrations, as much as 30% to 35%, are sometimes available in pool supplies stores, often under the name Liquid Oxygen. (one pint of 3% or higher concentration)

• Iodine - formerly widely available in crystal form for water purification, iodine is now a DEA List I chemical, which means it's harder to find. Iodine is used in many experiments, as a reactant, indicator, test reagent, or microscope slide staining solution. For most purposes you can substitute iodine tincture (a dilute solution of iodine and potassium iodide in ethanol) or Lugol's solution (the same, but uses water as a solvent instead of ethanol). Although less used than formerly, iodine tincture and Lugol's solution are still widely available in one-ounce bottles (the DEA limit) in drugstores. We picked up a one-ounce bottle of 2% iodine tincture at Walgreens for $3. Be careful. Many vendors sell iodine tincture and/or Lugol's solution at outrageous prices. We've seen prices of $20 and even $30 for a small bottle. (for use as an indicator, test reagent, or slide stain, one one-ounce bottle; if you need iodine in larger amounts, you can easily synthesize it yourself from potassium iodide.)

• Iron - used in many common experiments and syntheses, usually in the form of iron filings. You can substitute soapless steel wool, which is available inexpensively in the form of steel wool pads in the paint section of hardware stores and home improvement centers. (one or two pads)

• Isopropanol - sold in drugstores under that name or as isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol (some rubbing alcohol is ethanol rather than isopropanol). Common concentrations run from 70% to 99%, with 70%, 91%, 95%, and 99% most common. Isopropanol is used in many experiments as a general solvent, chromatography solvent, or reactant, and is also useful as fuel for an alcohol burner. (one pint of 91% or 99% isopropanol)

• Lead carbonate (~ $3/pound from a pottery supplies store) is infrequently used in pottery nowadays because of lead toxicity, so not all pottery supply stores carry it. Lead carbonate can be reacted with acetic acid to produce lead(II) acetate or nitric acid to produce lead(II) nitrate. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize lead salts)

• Lithium carbonate (~ $7/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be used to synthesize lithium acetate, lithium chloride, lithium hydroxide, and other lithium salts. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize lithium salts)

• Magnesium sulfate - is used in several common experiments. The heptahydrate form is sold in drugstores as Epsom salts for about a buck a pound, and is of very high purity. (a few ounces to a pound)

• Magnesium carbonate (~ $3/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with mineral acids or organic acids to produce magnesium acetate, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate, and other magnesium salts. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize magnesium salts)

• Manganese carbonate (~ $4/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with hydrochloric acid to produce manganese chloride, with nitric acid to produce manganese nitrate, or with sulfuric acid to produce manganese sulfate. (four ounces, if you want to synthesize manganese salts)

• Methanol - is useful as a general laboratory solvent, as a chromatography solvent, and as a precursor in several common syntheses. Methanol is sometimes used as fuel in alcohol lamps, although its invisible flame presents an obvious hazard. Methanol is available in the paint section of some hardware stores and home improvement centers, under that name or as wood alcohol, but many do not carry it. Auto parts stores sell 99% methanol in 12-ounce bottles for a buck or so as a fuel additive under the brand name HEET. (Make sure to get original HEET, rather than ISO-HEET, which is isopropanol.) Methanol-based fuel additives contain about 1% rust inhibitors and other additives, which usually present no problem for routine use. If you want purer methanol, you can distill HEET (carefully; it's extremely flammable). (one 12-ounce bottle)

• Nickel carbonate (~ $30/pound or $3/ounce from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with acetic acid to produce nickel acetate, with hydrochloric acid to produce nickel chloride, or with nitric acid to produce nickel nitrate. (one ounce or more, if you want to synthesize nickel salts)

• Petroleum ether - also known as ligroin, benzine (not benzene), and under several other names, petroleum ether is an ill-defined mixture of various alkanes, primarily pentanes and hexanes. In introductory chemistry lab sessions, it is useful primarily as a non-polar chromatography solvent. For most purposes, you can substitute toluene or xylene from the paint section of the hardware store. (small can, if you will be doing chromatography experiments)

• Sodium bicarbonate - sold inexpensively and in extremely pure form in supermarkets as baking soda, sodium bicarbonate is used in many experiments as is and is also useful as a precursor chemical in synthesizing other chemicals and to precipitate toxic heavy metal ions and neutralize acid wastes before disposal. Finally, sodium bicarbonate can be used to neutralize acid spills and to extinguish fires. We bought a 12-pound resealable bag at Costco for $5. (large box or bag)

• Sodium carbonate - For noncritical use, you can buy reasonably pure sodium carbonate in supermarkets as washing soda or from pottery supply stores as soda ash, but it's easy to make very pure anhydrous sodium carbonate simply by spreading a pound or so of sodium bicarbonate in a thin layer on a baking pan and heating it in the oven for an hour or so to drive off water and carbon dioxide. Heating 500 g of sodium bicarbonate yields about 315 g of anhydrous sodium carbonate. (if you buy it, one pound or more)

• Sodium chloride - ordinary iodized table salt is almost pure sodium chloride, with potassium iodide added (the "iodized" part of the name) as well as anti-caking agents. Popcorn salt and kosher salt lack the potassium iodide. For most purposes, either of those can be used as is. (one container of popcorn salt)

• Strontium carbonate (~ $4/pound from a pottery supplies store) can be reacted with mineral acids or organic acids to produce strontium acetate, strontium chloride, strontium nitrate, and other strontium salts. (four ounces or more, if you want to synthesize strontium salts)

□ Acetic acid, glacial (100 mL) [reagent grade]

□ Acetone (100 ml)

□ Aluminum metal (25 g) [granules, filings, turnings, or shot]

□ Ammonia, aqueous, concentrated (100 mL) [reagent grade, 28% to 30%]

□ Ammonium acetate (25 g)

□ Ammonium chloride (25 g)

Ammonium molybdate - The ammonium or sodium salt of molybdic acid (which are generally interchangeable) is sold by some garden centers and hydroponics suppliers as a trace nutrient. Hydro Gardens, for example, sells two ounces of sodium molybdate for $7. (one ounce, if you intend to do qualitative/quantitative analysis lab sessions)

□ Ammonium nitrate (50 g)

□ Calcium carbonate, granular (25 g) [suitable for use as boiling chips]

□ Calcium chloride (25 g)

□ Calcium hydroxide (25 g)

□ Calcium oxide (25 g)

□ Charcoal, activated (10 g)

□ Cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate (10 g)

□ Copper(II) carbonate (10 g)

□ Copper(II) nitrate trihydrate (25 g)

□ Copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate (100 g) [technical grade is fine]

□ Glycerol (25 mL)

□ Hydrochloric acid, 37% (100 mL) [reagent grade]

□ Iodine crystals (5 g)

□ Iron filings (25 g)

□ Iron shot (100 g) [or steel shot]

□ Iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate (ferrous sulfate) (25 g)

□ Iron(III) ammonium sulfate (ferric ammonium sulfate) (25 g)

□ Iron(III) chloride anhydrous (ferric chloride) (25 g)

□ Lead metal (100 g) [shot]

□ Lead nitrate (25 g)

□ Lithium chloride (25 g)

□ Magnesium metal (50 cm strip)

□ Magnesium sulfate (50 g)

□ Manganese dioxide (10 g)

□ Mineral oil (25 mL)

□ Naphthalene (25 g) [flakes]

□ Oxalic acid (10 g)

□ Paradichlorobenzene (25 g)

□ Petroleum ether (100 mL)

□ Phenolphthalein powder (5 g)

□ Polyvinyl alcohol (25 g)

□ Potassium chlorate (25 g)

□ Potassium chloride (25 g)

□ Potassium chromate (25 g)

□ Potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) trihydrate (potassium ferrocyanide) (25 g)

□ Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) (potassium ferricyanide) (25 g)

□ Potassium hydrogen tartrate (10 g)

□ Potassium iodide (25 g)

□ Potassium permanganate (25 g)

□ Silver nitrate (5 g)

□ Sodium acetate, anhydrous (25 g)

□ Sodium bicarbonate (50 g)

□ Sodium bisulfate (25 g)

□ Sodium bisulfite (25 g)

□ Sodium borate (25 g)

□ Sodium carbonate, anhydrous (100 g)

□ Sodium hydroxide (100 g)

□ Sodium nitrate (25 g)

□ Sodium nitrite (25 g)

□ Sodium phosphate, tribasic dodecahydrate (25 g)

□ Sodium sulfate decahydrate (25 g)

□ Sodium sulfite anhydrous (25 g)

□ Sodium thiosulfate pentahydrate (25 g)

□ Starch, soluble (5 g)

□ Strontium chloride (10 g)

□ Sulfur (25 g)

□ Sulfuric acid, 98% (100 mL) [reagent grade]

□ Zinc metal (25 g) [mossy or granular; reagent grade]

□ Zinc sulfate (25 g)