| acetic acid |
Vinegars vary between 4-5.5%
acetic acid; more concentrated acetic acid (28%) may be purchased
at photography supply stores. |
| acetone |
Nail polish remover is generally
acetone ; fiberglass cleaner is also generally made of
acetone and is available at boating supply stores. |
| alum |
Natural mineral salts; available
at most drug stores. |
| aluminum |
Aluminum foil; aluminum
turnings are available as scrap from machine shops. |
| potassium aluminum sulfate |
Alum is available at most
drug stores. It is used as an astringent to shrink mucus membranes.
|
| ammonia |
Household ammonia (ammonium
hydroxide) is an aqueous solution of ammonia. Note: this often
has additives. |
| ammonium nitrate |
Nitrate of ammonia fertilizer
is available at most garden supply stores. |
| amylose |
Cornstarch is available
at most markets and is used extensively in cooking. |
| anthocyanin |
Anthocyanin solution can be prepared
by cutting, boiling and filtering red cabbage. |
| ascorbic acid |
Vitamin C tablets sold at
the market are primarily ascorbic acid. |
| bluing |
Mrs. Stewart's liquid laundry
bluing is used to whiten clothes and may be found in the
detergents section of the market. |
| borax |
Borax , such as Twenty Mule Team
Borax Laundry Booster is sodium tetraborate decahydrate.
|
| bromthymol blue |
Aquarium pH test kits often
employ bromthymol blue because it changes color in the 6.0-7.6
range. |
| butane |
The lighter fluid in hand-held
fire starters or cigarette lighters is usually
liquid butane. |
| calcium carbonate |
Chalk, limestone
and marble chips are good sources of solid calcium carbonate;
some antacids are largely calcium carbonate. |
| calcium chloride |
Much of the road salt (de-icer)
used to de-ice roads in cold climates is calcium chloride.
|
| calcium hydroxide |
Some antacids are primarily
calcium hydroxide; slaked lime is calcium hydroxide and
is used in lime-softening water treatment and in plastering.
|
| calcium hypochlorite |
Bleaching powder and some
swimming pool disinfectants contain calcium hypochlorite.
Available from cleaning or swimming pool supply companies.
|
| calcium oxide |
In the past quicklime was
a material plasterers used in making plaster. It is now difficult
to obtain from hardware stores. |
| carbon |
Charcoal used in cooking,
activated charcoal used in fish tank filters and graphite
used in pencil leads are good sources of carbon. |
| carbon dioxide |
Dry ice is available from
party stores, some grocery stores, refrigeration supply companies
and ice cream companies. |
| carbonic acid |
Soda water is simply carbonated
water, a dilute solution of carbonic acid. |
| copper sulfate pentahydrate
|
Basicop or Bluestone
algaecide used to kill algae and other aquatic pests contain
copper sulfate. |
| creosote |
Creosote is available at large
lumber companies or large building supply stores. |
| epsom salt |
Magnesium Sulfate is sold
at most drug stores and is used as a laxative or as an anti-inflammatory
soak. |
| ethylene glycol |
Some engine antifreezes
are primarily ethylene glycol. |
| Fuller's earth |
A clay-rich powder. Available at
drug stores and hardware stores. |
| glucose |
Dextrose (glucose) is available
in many drug stores; some specialty throat lozenges are dextrose.
|
| glycerol |
Glycerin is an emollient
used to soften skin by delaying the evaporation of water. It
is available at most drug stores. |
| hartshorn |
Ammonium carbonate is available
at pharmacies. It is still used occasionally in baking cookies,
such as springerle, but the raw dough should not be eaten.
|
| helium |
Helium can be obtained from
party stores or wherever helium balloons are available. |
| hydrochloric acid |
Muriatic acid (the common
name for HCl) is used in swimming pool maintenance. It is also
sold as masonry cleaner and is available at the hardware
store. Percentage concentrations vary. |
| hydrogen peroxide |
Hydrogen peroxide antiseptic (3%)
is available from the drug store. Clairoxide hair bleach by
Clairol is much more concentrated and is available from beauty
supply stores. |
| iodine |
Tincture of iodine, a topical
antiseptic used for treating wounds, is a solution of iodine
dissolved in ethyl alcohol. It is available at most drug stores.
|
| iron |
Steel wool, iron nails,
iron bolts, nuts, screws are good sources of iron. You
can get iron filings by dragging a strong magnet through sand.
|
| ferric oxide |
Ceramic rust is used to
add a red color to pottery and can be purchased at ceramic stores.
|
| Ivory Snow (flakes) |
Ivory Snow Flakes, manufactured
by Proctor & Gamble, was discontinued in 1978. To make your
own soap flakes, just finely grate a bar of ivory soap. |
| jeweler's rouge |
A red amorphous powder consisting
of ferric oxide. It is used in polishing glass, metal, or gems,
and as a cosmetic, etc. Also called "crocus." It is available
at jewelry stores. Also crocus cloths are used for fine polishing.
|
| kerosene |
Lamp oil or kerosene
is sold in the paint departments of most hardware stores.
|
| lead |
Lead shot and lead sinkers
are used by fishermen and are available at sporting goods stores.
|
| magnesium hydroxide |
Milk of Magnesia is an antacid
used to settle sour (acidic) stomachs. Some antacid tablets
also contain magnesium hydroxide. |
| magnesium silicate |
Talcum powder comes from
talc, the softest of all minerals, and is used as a
dusting powder for babies. It is available in the bodycare
section of the drug store. |
| magnesium sulfate |
Epsom salt is sold at most
drug stores and is used as a laxative or as an anti-inflammatory
soak. |
| methanol |
Methanol is sold as a solvent
in paint supply stores under the names "wood alcohol"
or "methyl alcohol." |
| methylene blue |
Methylene blue (Methidote
antiseptic) is used to treat small injured fish and is available
at pet stores. |
| mineral oil |
Mineral oil is sold in drug
stores as an emollient. Some baby oils are essentially
mineral oil and fragrance. |
| orris root |
Orris root is a classified
as a fixative (to keep color and fragrance longer) for making
potpourri and can be purchased in small quantities at most pharmacies
and drug stores. It can be poisonous and should be handled with
care. Orris root is the root of a specific type of iris that
is dried and ground. Drying and grinding bearded iris will not
result in the same type of compound and is not recommended.
Natural Aroma: Woody, Earthy, Alkaline; Aroma when Burned: Acrid,
Cool, Sour, Earthy tones; Aroma when Boiled: Cool, Sour, Sweet,
Earthy. Faint smell.
Orris Root is often used as a fixative in potpourris, meaning
that it will help the aromas of other tones within the mixture
last longer. When boiled, its aroma diminishes, and the root
pieces absorb some of the oils given off by the other ingredients.
Cakes when burned. The orris root flower is native to Southern
Europe. Its flower is iris-like, ranging in color from light
blue to white. In France, it's grown along the ridge of thatched
roofs as a way to bind and protect the thatching. |
| paraffin |
Candle wax is made of paraffin.
Some grocery stores sell paraffin as a sealant for home
canning. |
| phosphoric acid |
Some pH reducers (available at
pet stores) used in fish tanks are simply dilute solutions of
phosphoric acid. |
| potassium bitartrate |
Cream of tartar is available
at the market and is used to stabilize delicate foods like meringue
toppings and other baked egg-white products. |
| potassium carbonate |
Some agricultural supply companies
sell potash to farmers who need to increase the potassium
content in their soils. |
| potassium bromide |
Potassium bromide may be purchased
from photography stores where it is used in photographic development.
|
| potassium chloride |
Lite Salt is used as a salt
substitute by people who must limit their sodium intake, and
is available at most markets. |
| potassium iron (ii) hexacyanoferrate(iii)
|
Mrs. Stewart's liquid laundry
bluing is used to whiten clothes and may be found in the
detergents section of the market. |
| potassium nitrate |
Saltpeter or quick salt
is used to cure home made sausages and corned beef and may be
available at some butcher shops. |
| potassium permanganate |
Clearwater is a solution
of approximately 50% potassium permanganate and is used to remove
odors and cloudiness from water to be used in aquariums.
|
| propane |
Gas barbecue fuelis generally
made of propane and is available at many gasoline stations or
picnic supply stores. |
| 2-propanol |
Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol)
is a concentrated solution (generally 70%) of 2-propanol and
may be found in most drug stores. |
| quicklime |
In the past quicklime was
a material plasterers used in making plaster. It is now difficult
to obtain from hardware stores. |
| silicon dioxide |
quartz sand is relatively
pure silicon dioxide and is available at most building supply
stores. |
| soap flakes |
The most common was Ivory Snow
flakes, but they have discontinued it. You can grate Ivory Soap
bars or castile soap bars very finely to make your own. You
can also buy soap flakes on-line through various sources. Do
a search for soap flakes, and you will come up with a number
of vendors. |
| sodium acetate |
Re-Heater and other hand-warmers
are available at sporting goods stores. |
| sodium bicarbonate |
Baking soda is pure sodium
bicarbonate and may be found in the baking section of the market.
|
| sodium carbonate |
Washing soda is used to
treat wool fibers and is available at grocery stores and at
spinning, weaving and art supply stores. If you cannot find
it at your grocery store in the detergent aisle, try asking
for a special order. According to Arm & Hammer, the UPC code
for the 55 ounce box is 33200-03020. |
| sodium chloride |
The table salt used in cooking
is sodium chloride. Iodized salt contains a trace of sodium
iodide. |
| sodium hydroxide |
Known also as caustic soda
and lye, sodium hydroxide is used in many commercial
drain cleaners. |
| sodium hypochlorite |
Household bleach is generally
a 5% solution of sodium hypochlorite. |
| sodium phosphate |
Tri-sodium phosphate, commonly
known as TSP, is available at hardware stores and is
used to clean walls prior to painting. |
| sodium tetraborate decahydrate
|
Borax, such as Twenty
Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster is sodium tetraborate decahydrate.
|
| sodium thiosulfate |
Photographer's hypo is used
in photograph development and is available at photography supply
stores. |
| sucrose |
Table sugar is available
at grocery stores. |
| sulfur |
Flowers of sulfur is sold at some
garden stores to treat certain plant diseases. |
| sulfuric acid |
Battery acid, also known
as oil of vitriol, is sulfuric acid and may be obtained
at some auto supply stores. |
| Triethanolamine |
Liquid available at drugstores.
|
| Unibase |
An oil-in-water emulsion-base cream,
it is available at pharmacies (drug stores). |
vegetable-based
detergent |
biodegradable and/or
semi-synthetic detergent. A few brands are Heavenly Horse
Tail, Earth Rite, Life Tree, Ecover and Oasis. Most of these
are only found in health food stores. At the supermarket, look
for Planet or Murphy's. Planet has been given the green cross
certification by Scientific Certification Systems (new scientific
organization that certifies products for environmental claims).
These do not contain preservatives or artificial fragrances.
Murphy's Oil Soap is advertised as a soap for wood, although
it can be used as an all-purpose soap. It is a vegetable based
soap, but does contain preservatives and artificial fragrances.
|
| washing soda |
Sodium carbonate. Washing
soda is used to treat wool fibers and can be found at grocery
stores and spinning, weaving and art supply stores. If you cannot
find it at your grocery store in the detergent aisle, try asking
for a special order. According to Arm & Hammer, the UPC code
for the 55 ounce box is 33200-03020. |
| whiting |
Chalk. White, powdery substance,
prepared by grinding chalk or some other source of calcium
carbonate. When mixed with linseed oil it forms putty, and
with water and several other substances it constitutes whitewash.
It is used as a pigment, called Spanish white, as a filler
in paints, for polishing metal ware, and for various other purposes.
Look for it at an art supply store, hardware store or jeweler. |
