In August, panicky Massachusetts police ransacked the basement lab of retired chemist Victor Deeb, who was simply fiddling with experiments in his home. Overreacting to methamphetamine trafficking, Texas has outlawed the Ehrlenmeyer flask. Why? It’s common sense to delete highly toxic compounds, and we’re certainly more focused these days on insulating kids from risk.īut mostly it’s fear: of liability, of terrorists, of the neighbors. It’ll let you prepare solutions that change colors or glow like a light stick, but that’s about it for excitement. The average set from the mall has no burner to provide a flame, no chemicals that go bang. They revolve around low-energy reactions and the quiet creation of crystals and polymers. Kits Today: WimpifiedĬompared to their robust ancestors, chemistry sets today are wimpy. Many of today’s scientists and engineers trace their careers back to the excitement of that first set. Rocketry, nuclear energy, plastics - new sciences that were changing the world - were all highlighted in popular chemistry sets of the mid-20th century. People tolerated more risk back then, but in exchange, generations of young experimenters were rewarded with deeper discoveries, bigger thrills, and the satisfaction of daring to achieve something important for the future. Its 19th-century predecessor, The Boy’s Own Book, had 20-plus pages of chemistry and fireworks recipes. The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments debuted in 1960, packed with risky experiments.
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Kits from the 1920s to the 60s might include radioactive uranium, deadly sodium cyanide, or pure magnesium foil that burns at 4,000☏, with manuals that told how to mix up gunpowder or melt sand red-hot to blow your own glass test tubes. A few chemicals turned out to cause cancer. Chlorine and cyanide compounds could emit deadly gases. How good were the old sets? They were certainly more exciting, stocked with iodine and nitrates good for making unstable explosives or homemade rocket motors. More importantly, anyone can make their own flaming, fuming, booming DIY chemistry set as good as those from the golden age - or better. But you can still find respectable kits if you know where to look. It’s true: chemistry sets today don’t measure up to the classic kits that once scorched Formica kitchen tables across the nation.
Why old chemistry sets were better - and how to make your own today. Photography courtesy of Chemical Heritage Foundation (top left, bottom right) by Dustin Fenstermacher (top right, bottom left). Subscribe to the premier DIY magazine todayĬommunity access, print, and digital Magazine, and moreĭaily Projects to Inspire the Joy of Makingĭeals and Steals for the Maker on Your Nice List Skill builder, project tutorials, and more On Maker Campus facilitated by makers but for everyone Get hands-on with kits, books, and more from the Maker Shed A project collaboration and documentation platform.Membership connects and supports the people and projects that shape our future and supports the learning initiatives for the next generation of makers.
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