For students, DIY hobbyists, and science buffs, who can no longer get real chemistry sets, this one-of-a-kind guide explains how to set up and use a home chemistry lab, with step-by-step instructions for conducting experiments in basic chemistry -- not just to make pretty colors and stinky smells, but to learn how to do real lab work:
* Purify alcohol by distillation
* Produce hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis
* Smelt metallic copper from copper ore you make yourself
* Analyze the makeup of seawater, bone, and other common substances
* Synthesize oil of wintergreen from aspirin and rayon fiber from paper
* Perform forensics tests for fingerprints, blood, drugs, and poisons
* and much more
From the 1930s through the 1970s, chemistry sets were among the most popular Christmas gifts, selling in the millions. But two decades ago, real chemistry sets began to disappear as manufacturers and retailers became concerned about liability. ,em>The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments steps up to the plate with lessons on how to equip your home chemistry lab, master laboratory skills, and work safely in your lab. The bulk of this book consists of 17 hands-on chapters that include multiple laboratory sessions on the following topics:
* Separating Mixtures
* Solubility and Solutions
* Colligative Properties of Solutions
* Introduction to Chemical Reactions & Stoichiometry
* Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reactions
* Acid-Base Chemistry
* Chemical Kinetics
* Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle
* Gas Chemistry
* Thermochemistry and Calorimetry
* Electrochemistry
* Photochemistry
* Colloids and Suspensions
* Qualitative Analysis
* Quantitative Analysis
* Synthesis of Useful Compounds
* Forensic Chemistry
With plenty of full-color illustrations and photos, Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments offers introductory level sessions suitable for a middle school or first-year high school chemistry laboratory course, and more advanced sessions suitable for students who intend to take the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry exam. A student who completes all of the laboratories in this book will have done the equivalent of two full years of high school chemistry lab work or a first-year college general chemistry laboratory course.
This hands-on introduction to real chemistry -- using real equipment, real chemicals, and real quantitative experiments -- is ideal for the many thousands of young people and adults who want to experience the magic of chemistry.

Robert Bruce Thompson is a coauthor of Building the Perfect PC, Astronomy Hacks, and the Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders. Thompson built his first computer in 1976 from discrete chips. It had 256 bytes of memory, used toggle switches and LEDs for I/O, ran at less than 1MHz, and had no operating system. Since then, he has bought, built, upgraded, and repaired hundreds of PCs for himself, employers, customers, friends, and clients. Thompson reads mysteries and nonfiction for relaxation, but only on cloudy nights. He spends most clear, moonless nights outdoors with his 10-inch Dobsonian reflector telescope, hunting down faint fuzzies, and is currently designing a larger truss-tube Dobsonian (computerized, of course) that he plans to build.

Dedication;
Preface;
Who This Book is For;
How This Book is Organized;
Acknowledgments;
Thank You;
Chapter 1: Introduction;
1.1 Maintaining a Laboratory Notebook;
Chapter 2: Laboratory Safety;
2.1 Laboratory Safety Rules We Recommend;
Chapter 3: Equipping a Home Chemistry Laboratory;
3.1 General Purpose Glassware and Plasticware;
3.2 Volumetric Glassware;
3.3 Microscale Equipment;
3.4 Recommended Laboratory Glassware;
3.5 Laboratory Equipment and Supplies;
3.6 Work Area;
Chapter 4: Chemicals for the Home Chemistry Lab;
4.1 Chemical Names;
4.2 Chemical Grades;
4.3 Chemical Risk Factors and Safety Advice;
4.4 Hazard Pictograms and Letter Symbols;
4.5 Safe Chemical Handling;
4.6 Chemicals Used in This Book;
Chapter 5: Mastering Laboratory Skills;
5.1 Measurement Resolution and Significant Figures;
5.2 Handling Chemicals Properly;
5.3 Using a Balance;
5.4 Measuring Liquids by Volume;
5.5 Filtration;
5.6 Separations;
5.7 Using Heat Sources;
5.8 Working with Glass Tubing;
5.9 Cleaning Glassware;
Chapter 6: Laboratory: Separating Mixtures;
6.1 Laboratory 6.1: Differential Solubility: Separate Sand and Sucrose;
6.2 Laboratory 6.2: Distillation: Purify ethanol;
6.3 Laboratory 6.3: Recrystallization: Purify Copper Sulfate;
6.4 Laboratory 6.4: Solvent Extraction;
6.5 Laboratory 6.5: Chromatography: Two-Phase Separation of Mixtures;
6.6 Laboratory 6.6: Determine the Formula of a Hydrate;
Chapter 7: Laboratory: Solubility and Solutions;
7.1 Laboratory 7.1: Make Up a Molar Solution of a Solid Chemical;
7.2 Laboratory 7.2: Make Up a Molal Solution of a Solid Chemical;
7.3 Laboratory 7.3: Make Up a Molar Solution of a Liquid Chemical;
7.4 Laboratory 7.4: Make Up a Mass-to-Volume Percentage Solution;
7.5 Laboratory 7.5: Determine Concentration of a Solution by Visual Colorimetry;
Chapter 8: Laboratory: Colligative Properties of Solutions;
8.1 Laboratory 8.1: Determine Molar Mass by Boiling Point Elevation;
8.2 Laboratory 8.2: Determine Molar Mass by Freezing Point Depression;
8.3 Laboratory 8.3: Observe the Effects of Osmotic Pressure;
Chapter 9: Laboratory: Introduction to Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry;
9.1 Laboratory 9.1: Observe a Composition Reaction;
9.2 Laboratory 9.2: Observe a Decomposition Reaction;
9.3 Laboratory 9.3: Observe a Single Displacement Reaction;
9.4 Laboratory 9.4: Stoichiometry of a Double Displacement Reaction;
Chapter 10: Laboratory: Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reactions;
10.1 Laboratory 10.1: Reduction of copper ore to copper metal;
10.2 Laboratory 10.2: Observe the Oxidation States of Manganese;
Chapter 11: Laboratory: Acid-Base Chemistry;
11.1 Laboratory 11.1: Determine the Effect of Concentration on PH;
11.2 Laboratory 11.2: Determine the pH of Aqueous Salt Solutions;
11.3 Laboratory 11.3: Observe the Characteristics of a Buffer Solution;
11.4 Laboratory 11.4: Standardize a Hydrochloric Acid Solution by Titration;
Chapter 12: Laboratory: Chemical Kinetics;
12.1 Laboratory 12.1: Determine the Effect of Temperature on Reaction Rate;
12.2 Laboratory 12.2: Determine the Effect of Surface Area on Reaction Rate;
12.3 Laboratory 12.3: Determine the Effect of Concentration on Reaction Rate;
12.4 Laboratory 12.4: Determine the Effect of a Catalyst on Reaction Rate;
Chapter 13: Laboratory: Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle;
13.1 Laboratory 13.1: Observe Le Chatelier's Principle in Action;
13.2 Laboratory 13.2: Quantify the Common Ion Effect;
13.3 Laboratory 13.3: Determine a Solubility Product Constant;
Chapter 14: Laboratory: Gas Chemistry;
14.1 Laboratory 14.1: Observe the Volume-Pressure Relationship of Gases (Boyle's Law);
14.2 Laboratory 14.2: Observe the Volume-Temperature Relationship of Gases (Charles' Law);
14.3 Laboratory 14.3: Observe the Pressure-Temperature Relationship of Gases (Gay-Lussac's Law);
14.4 Laboratory 14.4: Use the Ideal Gas Law to Determine the Percentage of Acetic Acid in Vinegar;
14.5 Laboratory 14.5: Determine Molar Mass from Vapor Density;
Chapter 15: Laboratory: Thermochemistry and Calorimetry;
15.1 Laboratory 15.1: Determine Heat of Solution;
15.2 Laboratory 15.2: Determine the Heat of Fusion of Ice;
15.3 Laboratory 15.3: Determine the Specific Heat of a Metal;
15.4 Laboratory 15.4: Determine the Enthalpy Change of a Reaction;
Chapter 16: Laboratory: Electrochemistry;
16.1 Laboratory 16.1: Produce Hydrogen and Oxygen by Electrolysis of Water;
16.2 Laboratory 16.2: Observe the Electrochemical Oxidation of Iron;
16.3 Laboratory 16.3: Measure Electrode Potentials;
16.4 Laboratory 16.4: Observe Energy Transformation (Voltage and Current);
16.5 Laboratory 16.5: Build a Voltaic Cell with Two Half-Cells;
16.6 Laboratory 16.6: Build a Battery;
Chapter 17: Laboratory: Photochemistry;
17.1 Laboratory 17.1: Photochemical Reaction of Iodine and Oxalate;
Chapter 18: Laboratory: Colloids and Suspensions;
18.1 Laboratory 18.1 Observe Some Properties of Colloids and Suspensions;
18.2 Laboratory 18.2: Produce Firefighting Foam;
18.3 Laboratory 18.3: Prepare a Gelled Sol;
Chapter 19: Laboratory: Qualitative Analysis;
19.1 Laboratory 19.1: Use Flame Tests to Discriminate Metal Ions;
19.2 Laboratory 19.2: Use Borax Bead Tests to Discriminate Metal Ions;
19.3 Laboratory 19.3: Qualitative Analysis of Inorganic Anions;
19.4 Laboratory 19.4: Qualitative Analysis of Inorganic Cations;
19.5 Laboratory 19.5: Qualitative Analysis of Bone;
Chapter 20: Laboratory: Quantitative Analysis;
20.1 Laboratory 20.1: Quantitative Analysis of Vitamin C by Acid-Base Titration;
20.2 Laboratory 20.2: Quantitative Analysis of Chlorine Bleach by Redox Titration;
20.3 Laboratory 20.3: Quantitative Anion Analysis of Seawater;
Chapter 21: Laboratory: Synthesis of Useful Compounds;
21.1 Laboratory 21.1: Synthesize Methyl Salicylate From Aspirin;
21.2 Laboratory 21.2: Produce Rayon Fiber;
Chapter 22: Laboratory: Forensic Chemistry;
22.1 Laboratory 22.1: Use the Sherlock Holmes Test to Detect Blood;
22.2 Laboratory 22.2: Perform a Presumptive Test for Illicit Drugs;
22.3 Laboratory 22.3: Reveal Latent Fingerprints;
22.4 Laboratory 22.4: Perform the Marsh Test;