The Big List of Excuses- legal uses for chemicals

[MadHatter]

I wasn't sure where to post this since Pinkman House isn't around anymore. I'll try here.

So you've ordered some chems in small quantities, and had the bad luck of getting them caught on import control or customs. If you ordered major quantities you're probably screwed whatever you say, but say you're trying out a new route or a new synth with hobbyist quantities- or say that you ARE a hobbyist. Then you'll probably be asked what they're for. Time for the Big List Of Feeble Excuses!

I'll start:

Phenol- "I'm making paracetamol. It's a lot of fun and not illegal. Also, I'm a a hobbyist and I would never ingest it or give it to someone else."

 

[MadHatter]

Also, here you can post chemicals that you request a good excuse for. I'll start here also:

Sodium Nitrite
Sodium Borohydride

 

[ACAB]

Can be wonderfully used as poison bait for small and larger rodents.

 

[ACAB]

can be used for bleaching or to produce a bleaching agent, it is also used as a research object for hydrogen cells in cars.

 

[MadHatter]

Yes, although there's too many available legal alternatives for that. I'm thinking the best excuses are where you admit you're fooling around with chemistry, but you're doing harmless experiments.

But for sodium nitrite, I found it's used as a fragrance for fish lures. Sold as that in the US.

 

[oldkaw]

Excellent stump remover. Drill holes in said stump. Pour nitrate in holes. Pour charcoal lighter fluid in/on area. let soak 10 minutes. Light that bitch. Stump will be quite degraded by morning. Rinse and repeat.

 

[MadHatter]

That would work for nitrates, yes. Mostly potassium nitrate. But this was nitrITES.

 

[MadHatter]

Oh, and then there's scent chemistry, esterifications of alcohols.
Concentrated sulphuric acid (catalyst)
Acetic anhydride
could both be used for making different scents by acetylation of a range of alcohols. For example benzyl alcohol, which would produce peach smell. You could also make banzaldehyde with it.

 

[ryry1984]

methylamine base

and this one might be silly but i have to put it:

p2p

can we do a similar thread to this but with glassware?

why would i want a rotovap
why would i want 10000ml rb flask etc

 

[MadHatter]

Sorry, I think P2P is too close to the final product to excuse. You could potentially try to claim some perfume chemistry, but no-one would buy it.

A rotovap is a perfect machine for a lot of chemistry. You'd just have to make someone believe you have the funds to buy a toy for €800 for your innocent little hobby. I've seen worse though- people buying bikes, shoes and skies for way more than that.
A 10 L RB is pushing it though. Hard to explain.

 

[MadHatter]

Benzaldehyde, nitrobenzaldehyde: Indigo synthesis. "Well, officer, I always thought the synthesis of dyes is SO interesting!"

Actually, dyes are a great source of excuses. All depends on the scale, of course.

 

[Heartburn]

Rotovap: you are hobbyist and sometimes you make essential oils from orange peel, lavender, mint etc (you'd also need at least one Soxhlet extractor to make your confession trustworthy).
10L RBF: you bought this in garage sale (if you are in US) or in some kind of internet thrift shop for a few euros, because you are wine maker and this rbf is serving as wine balloon for fermentation.

 

[dnkr]

(Request) - TMCP-Indole

Not too much info on this.. Like most chems I order, my general excuse is "I'm researching and developing a new cleaning product [or] botonical nutrient", but would be nice to know if tmcp indole has any other use

 

[Heartburn]

The pure indole can be explained with making stinky teabags to repel rats/moles in garden, but the one you've asked has no more known uses than making synth cannabinoids, except if it stinks similarly to indole and you have your own backyard, then you can argue on "buying contaminated indole against mole from internet" but it also needs an additional alibi.

 

[dnkr]

It definitely smells weird.. like a old urine scent lol. Good to know I need to be smarter about this one, thanks!

 

[KokosDreams]

Ordering in China they do not really ask a lot - you could be ordering on behalf of a client as private retailer for chemical goods. Worked for me, I have received an offer immediately

 

[s3v3n]

has anyone a nice excuse for p2np? and what could police do if i dont have a nice excuse, its legal so they shouldnt be able to do that much should they? thank you

 

[MadHatter]

There's generally no real excuses for precursors that close to the final product. Not even Wikipedia can find any other uses for P2NP than making amphetamines.

And even if it's not illegal... if any custom officials see a shipment of P2NP to a private individual my guess is theuy contact the police to do a search of that persons premises, initiate surveilance or put them on a watch list.

 

[Saul]

p2np is illegal.
for legal items no attorney is going to allow a background information check or a search warrant for a legal product.
you buy international .
By the way, custom officers have their hands full off checking illegal items . on the borders

 

[HEISENBERG]

What countries?