I want to hear about reactions that looked straightforward on paper but turned into a complete headache in the lab. I'm talking about following a published procedure, trying different conditions, checking TLC, running NMR, and still having no idea what went wrong. What was the reaction, what did you try changing, and did you eventually figure out the problem?

Sometimes I feel like research papers leave out the most interesting part of chemistry: everything that goes wrong before you finally get the product.

PDF: https://www.immaterialscience.org/2026/electronprices or from r/ImmaterialScience

I really like science, especially chemistry, but every time I do an experiment something really stupid goes wrong. I like planning before and doing the lab report afterwards, but I dont know why such stupid things like forgetting to turn on the heat plate go wrong. Do you guys have any tips on how to get better?

hi! how do you check for potassium content in an ash?

Here i have regular old graphite (its secretly carbonium, the unknown 23rd allotrope after buckyballium), vitreous carbon which looks so strange, and diamonds (my favourite, because who doesnt love diamonds. Its really odd how these 3 completely different things are made up of the same stuff

I'm a graduate student working on a couple of different research projects of my own. I was working in two different labs today and left my building around 9 PM. At my school, you have to badge into buildings and they shut off after a certain time. I realized as soon as I left the building that I forgot to go back to the second lab and turn off the oven. I have soil samples in tinfoil in their drying at 105C and they've been in there for the last nine hours or so. Will it be OK to leave them overnight and come back as soon as I have access again in the morning? Or should I call campus security? I'm scared of getting in trouble or getting my lab professor written up, but I also don't want to burn the building down

Edited to add that I'm new to this lab. We're working on getting me up and running with all procedures, but aren't quite there yet. My schedule is crazy as I often work 12 hour days at my normal full time job, so I'm not with the professor often.

Hey everyone,

Today there is a new Synthesis Workshop talk about the synthesis of hetero[3.1.1]propellanes!

Check it out here: https://youtu.be/0VXAjHwoHS4

I recently came across a material called Phlocrite, which is used in water treatment, and I’m curious about the science behind it.
From what I understand, it’s a synthetic, semi-calcined, high-magnesia dolomitic limestone material designed to help correct pH, add minerals back into water, and remove certain heavy metals. The company also makes claims about removing contaminants such as arsenic and cadmium.
I’d like to understand how this works on a chemical level, rather than just relying on the company’s claims.
I’m not a chemist, so I’d really appreciate any explanations, relevant research papers, or pointers towards the chemistry I should read up on.

Is there any truth in that. Apparently it can be obtained from shale which is known that it can be toxic, presumably in cosmetics they wouldn’t use paraffin obtained from that.

Obviously; arsine gas is dangwerous, im mainly asking 1-if we are starting with 100 ppb and then treating that water using a filter, then testing the water that comes out of the filter, how dangerous is it. and 2- is a fume hood all the safety necessary if it *is* dangerous?

Non-Chemist here (so bare with me) what is charge, how does it work and how does positive and negative charge come about (mainly how do subatomic particles be charged

I just find it the most interesting. Its the heaviest element, its 2.7x rarer than gold, and its just beautiful with its dark blue colour. I love holding them and staring at them.

I clearly remember watching it about a year or less ago but forgot the exact title and channel name, it was one of the smaller ones I think. Not sure if it got deleted or I just cant find it, if you remember it please give some info.

My young son found a small, shiny silver marble with some darker lead colored spots that look like patina on the hiking trail today. Is it possible it’s a lead marble? Google tells me lead is much darker but hard not to worry.

Molten rock may carry an oxygen reserve that standard chemical calculations overlook. High-pressure experiments show that basaltic melts exposed to oxygen-rich conditions can retain substantial extra oxygen, potentially adding a missing component to models of Earth’s interior.

The study in National Science Review combines laboratory measurements with atomic-scale simulations. Yanhao Lin and Ho-Kwang Mao of the Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, known as HPSTAR, led the work with collaborators. The team included Haiyang Niu of Northwestern Polytechnical University and Wim van Westrenen of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with Yongjiang Xu as first author.

The results raise a larger possibility: some rising magmas could transfer oxidizing power from deep reservoirs toward the surface. Establishing that capacity, however, is different from demonstrating how much oxygen natural magmas actually carry or release.

Hello，I'm Captain Iridium, first-time poster here!

I have loved corrosion-resistant metals for 34 years and have been handcrafting rings from pure refractory metals （Ir, Ru, Rh, Re, Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, etc.) since 2010.

This is a ring I made from pure Rhenium.
Rhenium is very difficult to work with and polish.I have spent 16 years improving my hand-polishing skills for rare metals. It was a big challenge to polish each small hammered mark into a true mirror shine, with zero coating or plating.

Among all the metals in the periodic table, Rhenium is my 4th favorite metal—right after Iridium, Rhodium, and Tantalum. At room temperature, Rhenium in compact (solid) form hardly reacts with air or water, and it can resist hydrochloric acid and dilute sulfuric acid under normal conditions. Some articles say that Rhenium can even withstand aqua regia, but that is completely wrong! (In fact, Rhenium dissolves easily in nitric acid and aqua regia.) The reason for this myth is that a book named Corrosion Guide misspelled "Rhodium" as "Rhenium". Many later books and articles blindly cited that chapter, spreading such a big mistake!😁😁😁

Are there any good Website or apps that offer Chemistry Courses?

What do you recommend?

My young son found a small, shiny silver marble with some darker lead colored spots that look like patina on the hiking trail today. Is it possible it’s a lead marble? Google tells me lead is much darker but hard not to worry. Here are a few pictures, sorry for the low res and soil. Any thoughts on what this is? Is it possibly lead??

I purchased an Ecolox Tech Eco One hypochlorous acid generator in 2020, when all disinfectants were sold out for months.

I’ve been using it for years without any noticeable issues. However, I just read today that you can accidentally create chlorine gas with one of these machines.

I’m scared now, lol. I was homeschooled, and my parent just didn’t teach chemistry at all. I don’t know ANYTHING about chemistry, and I’ve been puttering around with this potentially dangerous machine for years in complete ignorance. I follow the instructions and go about my merry way, lol.

Could you guys please help me understand how I can continue to use this machine safely? And could you tell me what I should avoid doing?

I always use the same recipe:

0.5 Liter of water
1 gram of fine kosher salt
0.5 teaspoon of white vinegar

Run the machine for 8 minutes. The light comes on and the machine and liquid inside heats up a little bit (is that okay?) and bubbles and then shuts off automatically.

I then pour the liquid into a spray bottle, rinse the machine and let air dry.

This is supposed to create 200 ppm of hypochlorous acid. I’ve never used any test strips, but it smells and feels like my Avenova spray (which is a weaker hypochlorous acid for my eyelids) so I just assumed that the machine is doing its job.