I had to buy one. If you don't know what it is, look at the bottom of this page:

http://tinyurl.com/544ps7

I have no practical purpose for this, but I really wanted it. Maybe I'll fill balloons for the neices and nephews. I just wanted it sitting on the bench when I show off the lab area to the select few. Hell, it impresses me. It also makes me want to not breath or move to fast in my own lab. Quite delicate.

Anybody else have one? Or buy stupid shit like this just to "enhance" or "decorate" your lab room? Throw a 12v battery on it and its quite the anti-spectacle. Sprite evolves bubbles faster than this thing. But it does look pretty bad-ass sitting there. (I think thats its sole function).

And I know I'm going to hear "buy more funtional shit, dumbass!" But I really have maxed out everything I need. Really. It's all academic (ironically) after this. Well, other than roto-vaps, or midgets to run specific reflux operations and whatnot. I already own two midgets, I call them Oompa Loompas, they hate that and they're starting to ask for their damn rights. The last thing I need is a couple more. They may start a rebellion.

Sorry, I strayed. Have you ever bought anything for the lab, just cause its badass? Other than some midgets? (Which are two-for-one in Uzcrackistan)

See, I love a nice piece of glassware, but the Hoffman apparatus just doesn't flick my bean, so to speak...

I know a glass blower who can do some amazing stuff - we had him make some wine glasses incorporating various condensors and solumns into the stem and used them as prizes - they are gorgeous! Think I will get him to make me some...

Man, do you really have nothing else to put $120 in to make your lab more functional, rather than pretty?
There is so much more important and functional labware so please be honest, do you already have:
Couple hotplate stirrers, heating mantles in variety of sizes, full soxhlet, vacuum pump, miligram scale, different types of condensers, frac columns, chrom columns, kecks, a microscope (4real), proper lighting, chem resistant attire, locking chemical storage, padded glass storage, dyi/real fume hood, chem waste drain. I/O data collection card + sensors for temp/press/humidity monitoring (can be cheap dyi circuits), you could even buy used mini rotovap or make your own with an electric drill... There is so much more important equipment I'm sure you do not have such as precision pipetors or adjustable water bath, or hell even dyi steam bath seems more essential in a lab. If you don't know what to spend your money on then make a list of things you already own and I can help you point out more crucial lab components than hoffman apparatus.

Assuming you've already bought your stock reagents, £65 could buy a lot of the more synth specific chems; e.g. essential oils, benzaldehyde, GABA, tryptophan etc etc. By this I mean, instead of buying that to sit in the corner and be knocked over accidentally, get synthing and use the money to buy in the speciality reagents for whatever you're planning on doing.

And that list is fantastic Thermal

leave the guy alone !

If he wants some pointless glassware, let him buy it !

No skin off your nose...!

Sexy.

Be cool to fill up a bag or two with hydrogen gas and light em

Don't mean to sound all patronizing but, sure hydrogen filled baloons are fun but for fraction of that money you can have more fun in that dept. with h2so4 and hno3

And as Von Bass pointed out #1 thing you cant have enough as a chemist, would be reagents!

So OP is your lab for science or for show? No offense but it appears to me that you do not spend much time in your own lab / quickly run out of ideas on how to utilize your current glass? I am probably wrong and your just rich so you can afford making your lab pretty, in which case I envy you .

But otoh for those of you who used makeshift labware for years before purchasing your first beaker, do you remember the joy of finally being able to do your various synths without wasting half of your product on of faulty support clamps, waiting hours for the temp to rise, stirring endlessly untill both of your arms got tired, eyeballing reactants, and waiting days or weeks for your goods to filter through and dry completley... good times.

OP show your old glass love it deserves, do not put it aside just because you have new toy to play with, make use of it and it will show you its love back, in the form of great yields

That put a huge smile on my face. Fuck yoohoo bottles and bong hose and heet bottle funnels

I mean, I am glad for the shit, and it only shows the sheer determination of man.


Classic shit.

__________________


http://beesafe.goshopper.net/ For all your test reagent needs! Bee Safe! Price dropped.

I compleatly agree SN! There's such a great satisfaction that you get from putting so much effert into a small and reletivly simple synth, and having compleatly improvised all of the equipment required for it. There's nothing in the world like being a true kitchen chemist, it makes me so proud.

Although i do think having a Hoffman Apperatus would be sweet. I've considered buying one, but it will have to wait until a day when i have more money.

Yes Thermal, I am lacking alot of the stuff you mentioned. Most notably, the sohxlet extractor. I really want one now. And I'm going to buy it when I get paid. No I'm not rich, what I do is take the $200-250 that I can squeeze out of my check a month for "frivolous partying rididculous stuff" and instead put it into buying glassware and glassware accessories, etc.

I could've bought "more constructive" stuff than the "Hoffman" but it's what I wanted at the moment. It made me happy. Isn't that why we do this? So, yeah, in the same order I spent $100 on chems and chem accessories, and I spent $100 on the "Hoffman". I already had the stands. I think the apparatus inspires me.

And yes, I am kinda running out of anything to do. Thats another reason I'm not crazy running out to get certain reagents and solvents and whatnot. Perhaps you could help in that area. I'm gonna need to run some "academic" shit for a little bit. My nephew loves the thought, and the glassware. Got any ideas??