[yoma819]

hello i am a chemistry student in the uk and i wish to set up a lab at home
not mind you to do anything with explosives of anything but because i just like the idea of it
where can i get chemicals without being a company?
thank you
--yoma

[Albert]

Check this out:
http://chemicals.50webs.com/

[pantone159]

You might also try:
http://www.postapplescientific.com/
I don't know if they ship to the UK or not.

Also, you might try eBay.  It has been a while since I got any chemicals from anybody there, and my most recent cursory checks seemed to indicate that there was less of this than there once was.  (I did get much of my element collection from various eBay vendors.)

Also try and look for photographic chemical suppliers, there are probably some that will ship to the UK.  They won't have everything you might want, but many do have a decent inventory of chemicals.

[Brone]

I am in a similar situation to you, in terms of being a student.

Unlike some horror stories I have heard from some US residants about buying chemicals or labware I have found suppliers in the UK to be very helpful.

In general, as long as you seem reasonably sensible reagent or lab suppliers will sell you anything you want, often with student discounts, if you ask.

www.labpakchemicals.co.uk : Small range of inorganic chemicals, dont be afraid to ask, they have a lot more in stock than they do on their webpage. Prices vary from reasonable to poor.
www.alfa-chemcat.com : A very good range of organics. They seem to be happy with smaller orders (~ £50). Prices are often on the high side.

Hope this helps.

[limpet chicken]

Terminator, man, consider yourself awarded a scooby snack, that GFS chemicals is EXACTLY the place I have been looking for, I have been in desperate need of some organometallic reagents and halobenzenes for some grignard reactions, f&#$ me sideways, that place is perfect for my needs, hehehhe *subversive grin*

And just by chance, I would have had to pay £100 for a liter of o-toluidine, as I tried to buy some not long ago, and the inept bastards at the company I used, sent me o-tolidine instead, which is useless for my purposes, unless that is someone figures out a way to cleave the damn stuff, Terminator, you just saved me 100 quid

[Firewall]

Chemical buyers beware:

A few months ago (late December), I ordered a measly 500 ml of petroleum ether reagent from www.sciencelab.com. They charged me, but I haven't received it. According to them, they were all out of stock when I ordered, and the wait would only be a few weeks. Since then, it has been difficult getting e-mail replies from them, and when you call, you don't have the option of talking to a representative live. I have begun to question the legitimacy of their enterprise, and I strongly urge prospective buyers to stay away. I am going to attempt to contact them one last time. Hopefully they will fulfill the order, but I would be surprised.

[billnotgatez]

Please let us know if you query them tomorrow, what the response is in 2 days.

[evilbob]

Another company is http://www.inoxia.co.uk/

I have not dealt with them personally and they are geared up towards pyrotechnics, but they have a small range of chemicals available. For some chemicals you will need to be age verified - I think they ask for passport/driving license etc, original or good clear photocopy. If you are under 18 you may need a parent to do it for you.

Thanks to the other people in the thread for the links, there are some very interesting companies that I had not found before!

[Will]

www.labpakchemicals.co.uk : Small range of inorganic chemicals, dont be afraid to ask, they have a lot more in stock than they do on their webpage. Prices vary from reasonable to poor.

Labpak Chemicals is a truly excellent company for buying chemicals from in the UK. The people there are really helpful and everything there is very affordable, and Brone is right in saying they have a lot more in stock than on their website- just tell them what you want.

If they don't have it you can buy it from a different supplier like Camlab or somewhere else. Labpak is definately the cheapest chemicals supplier in the UK I have come accross, so I would use them where possible.

[tomtailford]

Try www.abbey-chemicals.co.uk - large range, good prices