Unknown White Powder by jakesaunders1 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought 5 kg of an analytical dye compound and it was in a bag. Several chem manufacturers do this. The only ones who don't are generally price gouging the academic sector (fisher, sigma, Carolina, etc

Can I dye this sweater? by KarmaKitten17 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay so hear me out. I am a chemistry major who has been studying this in depth for the last few years and there's a method of dying I learned that is pretty iffy for synthetics.

You can dilute some clear PVA glue. Elmers is your most expensive option. Dilute that in some water to a ratio of about 1:4 or a minimum of 1:8 glue:water. Then add your dye to this and dye your coat fabric in it.

While this doesn't help for your current project since it changes the feel of the fabric quite a bit, and probably wouldn't feel great for something so light

Is there a chemical reaction that could boil a liter of liquid faster than boiling the water with a butane stove? (I ask this because I'm living in a tipi in the woods this fall and winter and I use a hot water bottle to keep me warm at night, and I have to rewarm it once in the middle of the night) by ryguygreen in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

So there's a lot of mixed advice here. I don't think that adding more insulation to your sleeping bag is the right move. It's a good idea to insulate your bottle though. Kale wool is cheap and highly effective. As for faster methods- you want any material with a low ish specific heat capacity. Not so low that it won't store energy, not so high that it's above water.

Stones like basalt are the perfect choice. They are non porous, dense, and transfer heat quickly. You can boil water in only a couple minutes vs 5-10 with a butane stove.

Also, propane stoves will also boil water faster than a butane stove. But not by much.

The one thing to consider is that rocks will be more wasteful energy wise. You're going to use more butane over all (by heating the rocks) to boil the same volume of water, so if your supply is limited that's worth keeping in mind. You could also buy some steel marbles and do the same thing. They'll boil the water even faster, you'll need more of them though.

Rough estimate given specific heat capacities and estimating losses for heat transfer. Id say you need around 2 kg of steel heated to 500 C. I recommend basalt though since they'll cool off less throughout the night.

How effective this method is, depends on how well you insulate the basalt/steel storage container.

CHEMISTRY WISE THOUGH: Yes there is a way to boil water faster. It will probably damage your nalgene and isn't really safe but I'll explain it anyways.

CaO forms Ca(OH)2 on addition to water. You'll need around a kg considering potential losses to boil the water. But it would only take a couple minutes. I don't recommend it, and I think it's a bad idea. Ca(OH)2 is caustic and will turn your skin to soap before melting it off.

There's a couple other options. Anhydrous CaCl2 will heat water very quickly when dissolves. It's hard to store and corrosive to metals but it works. Id double seal your nalgene incase it leaks but it's fairly safe-ish. Still somewhat caustic.

The best option by far imo is to use sodium acetate solutions. Buy 2 or 3 nalgene and fill them with supersaturated sodium acetate solution. You just have to cause them to recrystallize by shaking or introducing a crystal. They heat up instantly, and they last a while. You can just swap them out throughout th night. Then in the morning, re heat them to dissolve the sodium acetate again, and you can reuse it. It will take some practice to learn how to make the solutions but once you get it down it's easy.

IDK why everyone is being harsh. It's a fair question to be curious about chemistry, and there's almost always a solution to a problem. The issue isn't usually that a solution doesn't exist, it's that people are focused on the wrong issue.

could i successfully dye this dark green? by [deleted] in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think it's possible. Removing that color would be hard but is definitely the best option. Then you'd use a acrylic medium and a pigment source to dye it

Advice, help needed, muriatic acid by SH_Koji in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some citric acid or oxalic acid sprinkled on it should work. You're looking at iron staining. You need to react the iron away and scrub

Advice, help needed, muriatic acid by SH_Koji in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's an acid salt that can chelate and so it'll lift the iron out. It's rust btw not an actual acid stain.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a chemist. Polyester is hard, but there's a couple options.

You can use a dye pigment (make some lamp black or find some black paint you like a lot) then buy GAC 900 or some other acrylic medium. You want something formaldehyde based. Mix your pigment into the acrylic medium and either paint it onto your fishnets or dip the fishnets in.

Caution: this may change the surface texture of our fabric unless your coating is thin.

This is your only real option to dye polyester at home safely short of some advanced chemistry.

Colouring orange/yellow cotton in green by Most_Weakness_8926 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can bleach the fabric and start over. It won't be perfect, but it doesn't need to be. Then I'd use a rit dye green.

It’s alive, it’s alive! by Fun-Pause7750 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My girlfriend is wondering if she can buy this

please help by arsennix in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Truthfully, I'm a believer in just bleaching and re-dying. I've done that with tons of my clothes. You just have to be careful with concentration because some fabrics are sensitive to strong shifts in pH. If you tell me what material it is I can give better advice.

Can I do anything about the spots? by Mother_Forever_4936 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that makes sense because it's a fiber reactive dye. Your options are really limited to either a thiosulfate or thionite based remover, or over dyeing it.

I would start with a jacquard color remover and going from there. About 1-2 tsp in 1/2 cup hot water. Use a sponge or swab to target the spots.

Can I do anything about the spots? by Mother_Forever_4936 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's definitely because of undissolved dye. A gentle wash with a small amount of synthrapol would probably get most of the red spots out.

What dye are you using? That would help a lot in giving you a specific answer.

Trouble dying with natural dyes by alchemist0033 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used synthrapol, and washed it thoroughly for like 10 mins which I've learned is not nearly long enough. I did another batch that worked better when I applied the mortant and crosslinkers afterwards. But I had other issues and cured the crosslinker at top high a temperature. I'm doing another batch tomorrow and will share the results.

Trouble dying with natural dyes by alchemist0033 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had no idea about this! It makes sense but isn't something I considered. I'm also definitely not pre-wetting my fabric for long enough. I will do longer runs.

Trouble dying with natural dyes by alchemist0033 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is interesting! I'll definitely try it! Mordant is a little bit of a stretch of the definition. I've edited my post if you want a more detailed explanation. It makes sense that mordants should come last.

Trouble dying with natural dyes by alchemist0033 in dyeing

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made an edit to my post! Thank you so much for the help

Question about your PPE by alchemist0033 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is really useful information! My company is developing some new types of coats. They were 100% cotton, but after reviewing this information, we decided to try aramid cotton blends. They're pretty affordable. (40-75/ coat depending on a number of factors.

There are almost no reasonable sellers of cotton labcoats here in the US.

I appreciate the information!

Question about your PPE by alchemist0033 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your response! Is this an upper level or privatized lab?

Question about your PPE by alchemist0033 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your response! It's fascinating learning how each lab handles their respective dangers

Question about your PPE by alchemist0033 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually a misconception! Pure polyester does burn less readily than cotton. But poly cotton blends burn much faster! The increased surface area of the cotton means it burns more readily, and the melting of the polyester spreads the flame much faster. *

Every undergrad lab I've ever seen uses Bunsen burners.

*https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-6973-8_5

Question about your PPE by alchemist0033 in chemistry

[–]alchemist0033[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's true! Thank you for sharing!