# Where cna I buy chemicals on-line? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317 "2001-05-23T17:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/1 "2001-05-23T17:08:29Z")
Anyone have good links for retail or wholesale chemical supply companies? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/2 "2001-05-24T00:18:25Z")
Depends on what type of chemicals you want. Its best to use a search engine & type in the name of the stuff & see what you get. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/3 "2001-05-24T02:59:55Z")
Try [Carolina Biological Supply](http://www.carolina.com/) or their catalog and order page at: [https://www3.carolina.com/onlinecatalog/default.asp](https://www3.carolina.com/onlinecatalog/default.asp) They specialize in school supplies, including chemistry. If you provide just a _bit_ more info on what you’re seeking, I might have some other sources. (If you’re reading the **Anarchist’s Cookbook** , I’m afraid you’re on your own.) ---
**Author:** ![Container20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Container20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Container20)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/4 "2001-05-24T04:29:01Z")
The Anarchist’s Cookbook has a table somewhere in it on how to get desired chemicals from over the counter and other ways. It, unfortunately, also tells where to steal hard to get ones from. You get pure sodium from powdered Drano, those little silver chunks mixed in with the powder. Want pure magnesium? Those expensive, ultralight racing bicycles have frames made of it. Check out the police auctions, because they usually have at least one in the couple of hundred bikes they sell off each year. Phosphorous is hard to come by and get shipped because it has to be kept in water or it bursts into flame. Type in wholesale chemicals on the search engine or chemical supply or chemical retailers. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/5 "2001-05-24T05:50:08Z")
From your spelling it appears that you may already have too much access to chemicals! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/6 "2001-05-24T09:31:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Container20 \* > **You get pure sodium from powdered Drano, those little silver chunks mixed in with the powder.** That’s aluminum, not sodium. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/7 "2001-05-24T14:20:10Z")
“Anarchist’s Cookbook” This book is old & its formulas are far from accurate. Plus, the OP hasn’t come back to tell us what kind of chemicals they want. Let’s not assume they want to make a bomb in the attic yet. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/8 "2001-05-24T19:16:52Z")
While I am all for anarchy and bombs and all, I am simply looking for pH indicators. In particular: o-cresolphthalein, p-paphtholbenzein, ethyl Bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)acetate, m-nitrophenol, m-Cresol purple. I also need to find out whether they are soluble in water or ammonia. Sorry this is so boring, but you will be helping to prevent injuries by helping me. I invent safety products for the food industry. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Zambezi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Mr.Zambezi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Zambezi)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/9 "2001-05-24T19:24:07Z")
While I am all for anarchy and bombs and all, I am simply looking for pH indicators. In particular: o-cresolphthalein, p-paphtholbenzein, ethyl Bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)acetate, m-nitrophenol, m-Cresol purple. I also need to find out whether they are soluble in water or ammonia. Sorry this is so boring, but you will be helping to prevent injuries by helping me. I invent safety products for the food industry. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2001, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-cna-i-buy-chemicals-on-line/66317/10 "2001-05-24T20:17:18Z")
Considering that this same question is posted more concisely in [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=71835), and that this thread could very easily end up going places that we don’t want, I’m closing this one. **Mr.Zambezi** , please do not post multiple threads for the same question. The server gets bogged down enough with one thread each.