Where to Buy Chemicals and Other Materials

The supplies and chemicals specified within the experiments were, of course, intended to be a set of "easily obtainable" materials. However, the set of materials that might be described that way has changed greatly over the last half century. You might understand if a few of them are simply (or practically) unavailable in the modern era. One of the motivations for this annotated edition is to make the book more usable by filling in these gaps with modern sources and (in some cases) modern substitutes.

Some of the materials are genuinely hazardous and rarely used (by individuals) for reasons of safety. Substances such as mercury and asbestos are still legal and in widespread industrial use, but have either been banned or fallen out of favor in many of their former applications. Kitchen potholders are no longer lined with asbestos, and oral thermometers are more likely to be digital than mercury-filled. And that is not a bad thing. In the one place where asbestos actually comes up in the book — an asbestos tile to protect your desk from hot glassware — we recommend that you use a regular kitchen trivet instead.

Some other materials are no longer produced (at least in quantity), for example, vacuum tubes for radios.

And some other materials that are hard to purchase without appropriate credentials. Many chemical supply companies will only sell to institutions or approved companies. As an independent or amateur scientist, nothing could be more frustrating. We will endeavor to provide alternate sources or substitutes when barriers like these might become issues.

This table is a living resource, that we are currently updating, and will continue to update with links and sources for purchasing the individual materials. (We are working on allowing reader-contributed sourcing notes as well.) Please see the bottom of the page for the meanings of abbreviations that are used.