Precursors:
Hydrogen Peroxide, H2O2
Density, 1.01 g/mL
BP, Varies
MP, Varies
Here is some interesting information on H2O2 including what temperatures it freezes at based on concentrations etc. Good site. You can buy 3% H2O2 at just about any drug store or pharmacy. If you can't find the 3% kind then you should go have your friends make fun of you. You can use 3% for practically every synthesis as long as you substitute in the right amount of moles. To get a slightly higher concentration you can go to your local hair place/beauty shop and get it as hair bleach. They sell it by volume. 40 volume is not the same as 40%, at all. 20 volume is about 6% so 40 volume is about 12%. If you want even higher concentrations then you can go to a hydroponics store and by it at around 30%, maybe even up to 50%. If you want any higher concentrations then well, do it yourself. It forms an azeotrope with water at 68% and will bleach/burn your skin in concentrations of 20% or more. Never ever, under any circumstances drink any of any concentration. One time I accidentally swallowed about 10 mL of 12% and oh my god...don't do it. It burned for 20 minutes and stripped my throat dry for a day. H2O2 is the key indegredient in a few primaries so finding a good source of it is important. Using 3% tends to yield smaller size crystals than higher concentrations but it takes more time to form.
MSDS Here (only for 3%)
Sulfuric Acid, H2SO4
Density, 1.84 g/mL
BP, 290*C (decomposes at 340*C)
MP, 3*C (100%), -32*C (93%), -38*C (78%), -64*C (65%)
Sulfuric acid forms an azeotrope with water at 98% which is good because any lab I do doesn't require over 98% concentration. It can be bought at a place that works on cars as battery acid. This concentration is normally 35% so you'll definitely need to boil it. When boiling it just boil it until thick white fumes start coming out, then boil it a little more. If it's 35% concentration then from a liter of battery acid you'll need to boil off 650 mL of water to make it 98%. So make sure you have plenty of time to do this. It can also be bought in hardware stores as drain cleaner. It will almost always come with a plastic baggy around the bottle. On the side somewhere it'll say that it contains "Conc. Sulfuric Acid." The brand I use is Baron Drain Opener and it's concentration is 91%. The concentration probably varies from brand to brand so to check concentration you can either do a density check (which requires precise scales) or a titration (which requires a known concentration). If you don't feel like doing either of those just boil the hell out of it and then you'll know that it's 98%. It's often used in nitration labs to absorb water that results from the reaction. If not it may be used as just a catalyst as the case is for peroxides. Of course, it's also used as a main component in other labs. Try your best to know your concentration. If the side of the bottle says it's concentrated then it's probably 91%-95%.
A table of concentrations based on density
MSDS Here
Acetone, C3H6O
Density, .79 g/mL
BP, 56*C
MP, -95*C
Okay, if you can't find acetone then you really have some problems. First because it's used in quite a few labs and second because that means you're a complete idiot. You can find it at just about any hardware store in the paint thinners section labeled "Acetone." It'll probably be beside xylene, MEK, and other thinners/solvents. It should be relatively cheap at about $4.00 a liter. There's really not a whole lot to say about acetone, it's flammable, smells bad, and should be used outside. You don't have to, but it reaks, you'll find out.
MSDS Here
Glycerine, C3H5(OH)3
Density, 1.26 g/mL
BP, 290*C
MP, 18*C
Glycerine is most often used as either a sweetner or a lubricant (yeesh, get some WD-40). It can be found at most drug stores in 99.5% anhydrous form. These bottles aren't airtight so try to know how long it's been on the shelf as it will absorb moisture. It is definitely hygroscopic so don't leave it laying around. It's main (probably only) use here is to make nitrglycerine. If you plan on churning out a lot of NG or you just like to buy in bulk then you should go to a feed/farm store and say you need some for your hourses. It should come by the liter or so. At the drug store it's about $4.00 for four ounces which isn't bad unless you really plan on making a lot of NG. Four ounces of NG is a lot. That's all there is to know about glycerine, so read the MSDS and find out how touching it won't kill you.
MSDS Here
Mercury, Hg
Density, 13.55 g/mL
BP, 356.7*C
MP, -38.87C
Mercury is pretty hard to find. When I say pretty hard I mean really hard. When I say really hard I mean almost impossible. You can find it in some thermometers. Most have been changed over to alcohol or something else. The thermometer that I use to monitor all my reactions is mercury but I like it so I'm not going to turn it into mercury fulminate (what else are you going to do with mercury?). My dad used to work on big tanks (propane or something, I should've listened closer) and he has a bottle from where all the thermometers would break and he'd collect the mercury to refill other thermometers. You could always just order some from a lab and say that you needed some to refill a bunch of thermometers. Either way mercury is hard to come by. I got lucky. You should never actually touch the mercury, as tempting as it is it'll make you go crazy. That's where the term "mad hatter" comes from. Hat makers used a lot of mercury so they were constantly exposed to it so they went crazy.
MSDS Here
Potassium Nitrate, KNO3
Density, 2.1 g/mL
BP, 400*C
MP, 333*C
Potassium nitrate is pretty common if you know what you're looking for. You can buy it at most drug stores as...potassium nitrate. It's also called Saltpeter. Potassium nitrate is found in most pyrotechnic mixtures and has many applications to chemistry too. You can use it in place of ammonium nitrate or any other nitrate unless the literature specificly states otherwise. Naturally when doing this change you'll have to convert the proper amount of moles and be aware of the new bi-products produced but if you can't do that then you shouldn't have this type of activity for your hobby. Back to locating it, sometimes it can be found as stump remover (check the bottle it comes in) but it will almost definitely be impure so you'll need to take a few steps to purify it. It's kind of expensive this way though. You can also find it in most garden shops and nurseries. It's commonly used as fertilizer and the purest type is 13-0-24.
MSDS Here
Ammonium Nitrate, NH4NO3
Density,
BP, 210*C (decomposes)
MP, Less than 210*C...
Ammonium nitrate is easy to find at most gardening stores. The purest type of fertilizer is 34-0-0 *(I think)*. It can be found pure in instant cold packs from drugstores. Naturally you should check the label, if it's not ammonium nitrate it may be urea. The cold packs are rather expensive ($4.00 for ~150g) but the fertilizer will always need purifying. If you're not sure how to purify it then do a search or use your brain. It's not that difficult. Ammonium nitrate is useful as both a reagent and an explosive. It's used in many different compostions (APAN, ANNM, dynamite, etc.) or can be used practically straight in the form of an ANFO. In the lab it can be used to produce nitric acid whether the acid is being distilled or it's just being used with the impurities ((NH4)2SO4).
MSDS Here
Acetylsalicylic Acid, C9H8O4
Density, 1.4 g/mL
BP, 140*C (decomposes)
MP, 138-140*C
This is the proper term for asprin. Anything in the store labeled asprin is really acetylsalicylic acid. I don't think you can buy it pure anywhere so you should get the cheapest kind of asprin to purify because the more expensive kinds have extra fillers and shit. You can purify it using acetone, isopropanol, or ethanol (so I've heard). To purify it all you have to do is crush up all the little asprin tablet then dissolve them in your solvent (I use acetone). After they're completely dissolved you filter off the extra binders/filler then let all of the solvent evaporate. It's simple. It's only use in the lab that I've found so far is for TNP.
MSDS Here
