Chemistry kit
A chemistry kit or chemistry experiment kit is a compilation of chemicals and simple devices for performing chemical experiments for students and hobby chemists. Such a box is also intended for in-depth practical self-study by children and young people interested in science. A manual is enclosed with the box, in which the experiments planned and tested by the publisher are described. There are precise instructions and a simple explanation for each attempt.
Furnishing
equipment
The most important components are simple glass devices such as test tubes , glass rods and glass tubes. In order to save costs, the individual experimental set-ups are mostly implemented with a few standard elements, so that the apparatus used to carry out the experiments sometimes differs greatly from that in real laboratories (use of plastic or rubber hoses, limited repertoire of glass appliances, cork and rubber stoppers instead of standard ground joint connections Etc.). A small alcohol or dry spirit burner is usually used as a heat source. Larger boxes also contain pipettes , funnels , filter paper , beakers , Erlenmeyer flasks , stands and much more. The addition of protective glasses is now the rule.
Chemicals
Strong poisons or flammable substances are usually not part of the equipment of a chemistry kit. In many experiments, however, hazardous substances are used that can be assigned to today's categories of harmful , irritant , oxidizing or corrosive . Therefore, the sale of such substances to minors is prohibited. In recent times chemical kits have come onto the market that are free from hazardous substances. In order to be able to carry out all experiments, the appropriate ingredients (e.g. acids and bases) must be purchased through the school or through adults. Supervision must be present when the experiment is carried out, which is also indicated in the instructions. Traditionally, everyday chemicals such as soda , baking powder , ammonia (ammonia solution), hydrogen peroxide and denatured alcohol are also used in the household . Further chemicals are produced in-house in the course of the experiments. The basic equipment usually includes the following chemicals:
- Inorganic chemicals such as iron filings , calcium carbonate , copper sulfate , sulfur and zinc sheet
- Few organic chemicals like citric or tartaric acid
- Rapid test strips such as litmus paper and universal indicator paper
history
Chemistry kits had been available since the end of the 18th century. Since the beginning of the 20th century, they have also been offered as series, so that it is easy to get started and the home laboratory can be built up step by step.
- Probir-Cabinet of the Jena pharmacist Johann Friedrich August Göttling or “Complete chemical Probir-Cabinet for manual use by cutting artists, doctors, mineralogists, metallurgists, technologists, manufacturers, economists and nature lovers”, Jena, around 1790
- Chemical kits from Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, since 1927, first edition of the instructions: August 1926
- Chemistry kit "The young chemist" from the former USSR , two versions, whereby the large one was equipped as follows:
- Equipment: test tubes , test tube holder and rack, burner for hard alcohol, retort , porcelain bowl , glass tube 90 °, rubber stopper
- Chemicals: 4 g of sodium hydroxide in 100 ml plastic bottle for the preparation of a 4% sodium hydroxide solution, 10% hydrochloric acid, calcium hydroxide , sodium bicarbonate , ammonium chloride , copper sulfate , tartaric acid, iron powder, potassium permanganate , flowers of sulfur , iron citrate , Red and Yellow prussiate of potash , tannin , magnesium strip , Phenolphthalein powder, malachite powder, congo red paper, litmus paper, phenolphthalein paper
literature
Florian K. Öxler: From the portable laboratory to the chemistry kit - On the history of the experiment kit with special consideration of the German-speaking area . Stuttgart: Wiss. Verl.-Ges., 2010 (Sources and studies on the history of pharmacy, Vol. 9).
Web links
Historic chemistry kits
- "Experiment kits and books through the ages" State examination thesis D. Wolf (PDF file; 4.52 MB)
- Instructions for historic Philips chemistry experiment kits
- Construction kit wiki for electronics and chemistry experiment kits
- Video: History of the experimental kits up to 1805
- Video: History of the experimental kits from 1890