Larrystein

Oh yes! I forgot that one. However 1-2mm ID is not very useful and soda glass is not good for acids. Right? I am looking for something like you get in chemistry sets, 4-5mm ID 6mm OD. Thanks Larry

Ok! It's probably a stupid question but I cannot find any in the catalogues I have looked at. You know what I mean, the tubes we use to connect apparatus via holed bungs and PVC/rubber hose. I cannot find any on Ebay except one in the US and that is flint glass. Will this suffice or can you point me in the right direction to get some better type. Thanks Larry

Right, I understand now. Thanks for your help. Larry

I guess that was my point, I know very little about azeotropes. Are you saying HCl(aq) has an azeotrope constant of 20%? What I mean is that at or over 20%, water then HCl will distil out of the solution. Below 20%, just the HCl distils, until we reach 20%, then water will come with it? I think that's how I understood what you said. Proportions? You mean molarity? yes I do know how to calculate molarity and do titration. I just wasn't concerned about the product except the HCl(g) at the time. I am going to do it again only properly next time. With proper recording and measurements. (and fill up your room) You forgot to mention KILL ME if I don't absorb and use a fume hood. Anyway, can you shed any light on my main questions from my original post? What is the product and how to tell when the end point is reached? I know it should be Sodium Sulphate. Why have I ended up with two different products one colourless and one yellow? Thanks Larry

I have made my own wine and sometimes beer in the past. And yes! I do have a home-made pot still. But, and this is important to understand, I would never distil any alcohol with it. It's far too dangerous to DIY alcohol. I made it for distilling water and only water. It is not a column still or fraction still it is a plain pot and coil still. I only have a need for double distilled H2O and because of my painkillers I cannot partake of high alcohol liquor even if I wanted to. Surely, if it was illegal to own a still or the parts to make said still. Wouldn't then every chemistry labs in the country be in breach of said laws? Here in the UK, it is not illegal to run a still for the distillation of H2O. It is illegal to distil alcohol for human consumption. Well, I say illegal, but actually it is not illegal to do, just illegal to do without paying "Her Majesties Revenue & Customs" excise duty and registering your premises as a producer. There are lots of other regulations that you have to follow also. Strangely, You can circumvent most of these laws if you are producing in small amounts for scientific or manufacturing purposes and can prove you cannot use denatured alcohol in your process. However, you must get consent from "Her Majesties Revenue & Customs" before hand. I have also read, on a biodiesel website, that for making Biodiesel you can distil your own ethyl alcohol(2.5lt max) However, I could not find this "Law" on HMRC site so don't know how lawful this really is. I do have a kitchen scale that is fairly accurate(.5g) but no way of testing it. so, could not tell if it is truly accurate. But didn't bother to use it in this instance anyway. If I didn't know about Ebay I would probably be one of a very few people in the world who don't. I have been looking at the balances on there but haven't had the balance (please excuse the pun) to afford it just now. Lastly, I think when "people" need a balance to weigh "Herbs" they are weighing it prior to putting it into small zip-lock baggies for illegal retail, not for making Pot-pourri! Thanks Larry

Hi, this is my first post on the forum. So firstly, Hello. I am a late bloomer, in the science community, being 44 and father of two (just about)adults. Secondly, as per the title. I have searched for but not found an answer. How can I tell when the end point or AN end point has been reached? I have read that the end point is reached when no more HCl(g) evolves. However, with the amount of reflux that happens how can you tell if the gas has stopped evolving? Or is the end point when the reflux starts? I perhaps should say WHY I want to make HCl(aq). Well I cannot go out to a supplier as my disability means I cannot walk far or drive any more. I also cannot find a supplier willing to sell and post in small amounts, unadulterated quality, to experimenters. Possibly because of what it can be used to make? I was able to buy only H2SO4 in 38% Max or battery acid. So, the reaction is fairly slow in starting and I have to apply 185-190°C in my sand bath. I have made two macro scale attempts at making HCl(aq). The first attempt the products were a yellow sol and HCl(g). From what I have been able to find on Google, that is what is supposed to happen. The HCl(g) was bubbled through DD H2O giving HCl(aq). I particularly like to watch the formation of the bubbles and them dissolving in the H2O before they can reach the surface . It seems to have made a fairly strong HCl sol. I tested it with a 5mm square piece of Al foil, which was fully dissociated after 2 mins. The yellow sol I also tested with the Al foil, It dissolved in 3mins. However, I was not happy about the reflux towards the end of the experiment. I don't think any HCl(aq) was drawn into the reaction vessel but it could have? So, with the second attempt I stopped as soon as the reflux activity started but ended up with a colourless product in the reaction vessel. This colourless sol dissolved the Al foil in less than one min! Have I just concentrated the H2SO4, have I stopped before the yellow product developed, not enough heat, too much heat or have I contaminated my experiment some how? For the second experiment, the cooled HCl(aq) from the first reaction was used to absorb the HCl(g) from the second to give me a stronger concentration of HCl(aq). The resultant HCl(aq) is indeed much stronger than before the second experiment. It dissolved the foil in less than 30 secs. If it's a bit hard to follow my discription of the experiment. Ask me for clarification. I know there are a lot of questions in this post but I really want to understand what is happening in this experiment and why I had two different outcomes. Any help please. Larry Merged post follows: Consecutive posts mergedI just realised you might wonder why I want HCl(aq) in the first place. Well, I have no intention of making any narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances that's for sure. Nor indeed any other illicit experiments. I have purchased A big chemistry set to do some learning. As I am recently divorced and housebound, I wanted something constructive to do with my time. Naturally it requires some HCl(aq) for some of the more interesting experiments. Which again Naturally are not included in the kit. Thanks for any help. Larry Merged post follows: Consecutive posts mergedBy the way: I used the same volume of H2SO4 in both experiments. However, I think I used more NaCl in the second as there was some NaCl remaining at the end and I don't have a reliable balance. I know, I know, measure everything and record mass/volume/molarity. But I don't have a balance so cannot. Any help Please! Larry