Errata
and Updates
- Before you do anything else, please check these errata lists and use them to correct any errors in your printed book. We recommend that each time you check for errata you note the date on the title page of the book. That way, when you return later to check for errata, you need check only those errata that have been posted since you last checked.
- If you find an error in the book, please send a detailed report, including the page number, to errata (at) homechemlab (dot) com. Please report even typos and other minor errors, but in particular please report any substantive error (of which, of course, we hope there are few or none). Whoever first reports what, in our sole opinion, is a substantive error will receive a free one-year subscription to this site (see below) or, if that person is already a subscriber, a one-year extension to his or her subscription.
- To save time, you can download preformatted labels for chemical storage bottles in [OpenOffice.org .ODT format] or [Microsoft Word .DOC format]. Note that the quantities given on these labels assume that the chemicals are 100.00% pure and that, if applicable, you are using the anhydrous form of the chemical. If your chemicals are of less than 100% purity or if you are using a hydrated form of a chemical, you will have to modify quantities appropriately.
- When we finished the manuscript of this book, iodine crystals, which are used in some of the lab sessions, were freely available. Subsequently, the DEA rescheduled iodine crystals as a List I chemical, which means you now need to fill out paperwork and provide identification to order iodine. Fortunately, it's easy to isolate elemental iodine from potassium iodide, instructions for doing which are in this document. Isolating Elemental Iodine from Potassium Iodide
HomeChemLab Supplement Package
Looking
for answers to the questions in the book, extra experiments, and more
neat stuff to do in your home chem lab? The HomeChemLab.com supplement package includes the following:
The HomeChemLab supplement package costs $18, and comes with an iron-clad 100% money-back guarantee. If within 30 days of receiving the Answer Guide and the twelve newsletter issues you decide it's not worth the cost, simply notify us and we'll refund your money. (We'll trust you to delete the documents you received from us during your subscription.) All of the documents are provided in unprotected Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, never expire, and do not include any form of copy-protection (although we would appreciate you keeping these documents to yourself; if someone else wants them, let him pay for a subscription himself.)
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- HomeChemLab Answer Guide: If you're puzzled by some of the questions in Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments or if you think you have the correct answers but aren't quite sure, you need the HomeChemLab Answer Guide. This electronic book provides definitive answers and explanations for the questions posed at the end of each lab session. All subscribers receive the current version of this guide when they subscribe, as well as any updated, expanded, and corrected versions that are published during the term of their subscriptions. (requires Adobe Reader)
- Subscriber-Only Newsletter: this monthly newsletter ran from June 2008 through May 2009, and contains short articles, news of interest to home chemists, and supplemental lab sessions that use the equipment and many of the chemicals you've already purchased to do the lab sessions in the book. The supplemental lab sessions range from basic sessions intended for beginners through more advanced sessions intended for those who have completed all of the sessions in the book. (requires Adobe Reader)
June 2008
Laboratory 21.3: Isolate Iodine from Potassium Iodide
Laboratory 19.6: Qualitative Analysis of Some Sugars
Laboratory 11.5: Extract pH Indicators from Plant Material
July 2008
Laboratory 17.2: Photochemical Bromination of Hydrocarbons
Laboratory 21.4: Synthesize Some Inorganic Pigments
Building Your Own Microchemistry Set
August 2008
Laboratory 20.4: Quantitative Analysis of Ethanol by Redox Titration
Laboratory 9.5: Job's Method of Continuous Variation
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part I
September 2008
Laboratory 19.7: The Iodoform Test
Laboratory 21.5: Synthesize Rubber
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part II
October 2008
Laboratory 20.5: Determine Water Hardness by Complexometric Titration
Laboratory 23.1: Introduction to Coordination Chemistry
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part III (barium compounds)
November 2008
Laboratory 17.3: Photochemistry of Iron Salts
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part IV (ammonium metavanadate)
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part V (nickel compounds)
December 2008
Give the Gift of Science to a Kid
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VI (lithium compounds)
Laboratory 10.3: Observe the Oxidation States of Vanadium
January 2009
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VII (strontium compounds)
Making Your Own Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) Plates
Laboratory 24.1: Isolate Casein and Lactose from Milk
February 2009
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VIII (potassium cyanate)
Laboratory 24.2: Separate Amino Acids in Casein with Paper Chromatography
Laboratory 24.3: Reproducing Wöhler's Landmark Synthesis of Urea
March 2009
Laboratory 6.7: Purify Aspirin
Laboratory 21.6: Synthesize Useful Compounds from Aspirin
April 2009
Laboratory 21.7: Synthesize Dimethylglyoxime
Laboratory 22.5: Detect Alkaloids with Precipitation Reagents
Laboratory 22.6: Identify Alkaloids with Color Test Reagents
May 2009
Laboratory 12.5: Determine Reaction Rate and Order
Laboratory 14.6: Investigate Graham's Law
Laboratory 19.8: Analysis of Paint Samples for Lead
Laboratory 21.3: Isolate Iodine from Potassium Iodide
Laboratory 19.6: Qualitative Analysis of Some Sugars
Laboratory 11.5: Extract pH Indicators from Plant Material
July 2008
Laboratory 17.2: Photochemical Bromination of Hydrocarbons
Laboratory 21.4: Synthesize Some Inorganic Pigments
Building Your Own Microchemistry Set
August 2008
Laboratory 20.4: Quantitative Analysis of Ethanol by Redox Titration
Laboratory 9.5: Job's Method of Continuous Variation
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part I
September 2008
Laboratory 19.7: The Iodoform Test
Laboratory 21.5: Synthesize Rubber
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part II
October 2008
Laboratory 20.5: Determine Water Hardness by Complexometric Titration
Laboratory 23.1: Introduction to Coordination Chemistry
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part III (barium compounds)
November 2008
Laboratory 17.3: Photochemistry of Iron Salts
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part IV (ammonium metavanadate)
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part V (nickel compounds)
December 2008
Give the Gift of Science to a Kid
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VI (lithium compounds)
Laboratory 10.3: Observe the Oxidation States of Vanadium
January 2009
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VII (strontium compounds)
Making Your Own Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) Plates
Laboratory 24.1: Isolate Casein and Lactose from Milk
February 2009
Making Your Own Chemicals, Part VIII (potassium cyanate)
Laboratory 24.2: Separate Amino Acids in Casein with Paper Chromatography
Laboratory 24.3: Reproducing Wöhler's Landmark Synthesis of Urea
March 2009
Laboratory 6.7: Purify Aspirin
Laboratory 21.6: Synthesize Useful Compounds from Aspirin
April 2009
Laboratory 21.7: Synthesize Dimethylglyoxime
Laboratory 22.5: Detect Alkaloids with Precipitation Reagents
Laboratory 22.6: Identify Alkaloids with Color Test Reagents
May 2009
Laboratory 12.5: Determine Reaction Rate and Order
Laboratory 14.6: Investigate Graham's Law
Laboratory 19.8: Analysis of Paint Samples for Lead
The HomeChemLab supplement package costs $18, and comes with an iron-clad 100% money-back guarantee. If within 30 days of receiving the Answer Guide and the twelve newsletter issues you decide it's not worth the cost, simply notify us and we'll refund your money. (We'll trust you to delete the documents you received from us during your subscription.) All of the documents are provided in unprotected Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, never expire, and do not include any form of copy-protection (although we would appreciate you keeping these documents to yourself; if someone else wants them, let him pay for a subscription himself.)
To subscribe to HomeChemLab.com with PayPal or a credit card, please click the icon below. (If you prefer to receive mail from us at a different address than you use for PayPal, please include that address in the notes section during the transaction.)
If you run anti-spam software, please add [subscribers (at) homechemlab (dot) com] and [thompson (at) homechemlab (dot) com] to your whitelist to make sure you don't miss any of our emails. If you have problems with or questions, please send email to subscribers (at) homechemlab (dot) com.
Equipment and
Chemical Kits
You can obtain
the equipment and
chemicals needed to do the experiments in the book from many sources,
but ordering piecemeal takes longer and often costs more. We've arranged to produce
several kits that contain what you need to do the experiments in the book.
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You can read the forums anonymously,but if you want to post you have to register. Be assured that we keep your information private, and never sell or rent our mailing lists to anyone for any reason.
Copyright ©2008 by
Robert Bruce Thompson. All Rights Reserved.