Supply Houses

Laboratory equipment and supplies are available from several sources, such as laboratory supply houses, manufacturers representatives, mail order houses, and local retail stores. 

A supply house, which generally represents several manufacturers, may be nationwide, regional, or local. Many offer a broad range of supplies, while others specialize in certain fields, such as medicine or education. A supply house usually has a will call desk, where an urgently needed item may be picked up within hours after the order is placed. 

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Retail price in U.S. from fine chemical supply houses. Prices may be substantially discounted for larger quantities. 

Derivatiziag an organic compound for analysis may require only a few drops of reagent selected from silylatiag kits suppHed by laboratory supply houses. Commercial syathesis of penicillins requires silylatiag ageats purchased ia tank cars from the manufacturer (see Antibiotics, P-LACTAMS-penicillins AND others). 

Suberic Acid. This acid is not produced commercially at this time. However, small quantities of high purity (98%) can be obtained from chemical supply houses. If a demand developed for suberic acid, the most economical method for its preparation would probably be based on one analogous to that developed for adipic and dodecanedioic acids air oxidation of cyclooctane to a mixture of cyclooctanone and cyclooctanol. This mixture is then further oxidized with nitric acid to give suberic acid (37). 

The prices and mode of shipment for the various commercial grades of diacids are provided ia Table 4. The price of adipic acid is iacluded for comparison. In addition to these diacids, undecanedioic, brassyUc, tetradecanedioic, hexadecanedioic, docosanedioic, and tetracosanedioic acids ate available, expensive, and ia limited quantity from research chemical supply houses. 

A number of ion-selective electrodes are available from laboratory supply houses whilst not intended to be an exhaustive list, Table 15.3 serves to indicate the variety of determinations for which electrodes are available. An indication is also given of the lower limit of detection of the electrodes this figure may vary somewhat according to the source of the electrode but full details are furnished by the manufacturer of the effective range of use of each electrode and of likely interferences. 

Switch on and allow the instrument to warm up the time for this will be quite short if the circuit is of the solid-state type. While this is taking place, make certain that the requisite buffer solutions for calibration of the meter are available, and if necessary prepare any required solutions this is most conveniently done by dissolving an appropriate buffer tablet (these are obtainable from many suppliers of pH meters and from laboratory supply houses) in the specified volume of distilled water. 

Preparation ofKF-2HF. This is prepared by carefully adding hydrogen fluoride vapor mixed with nitrogen to solid potassium bifluoride.13 Potassium bifluoride is available in convenient quantities from some supply houses (Aldrich 23,928-3, for example). The addition of hydrogen fluoride vapor to potassium fluoride is extremely exothermic and is best not attempted. The addition of liquid hydrogen fluoride to potassium bifluoride is also extremely exothermic and is best not attempted. 

Planning and building a laboratory requires a cooperative effort involving administrators, designers, equipment supply houses, contractors, and the laboratory operator. A laboratory designed for efficient operation can be achieved only if all of them work together with mutual respect and the best possible communication. 

Failure of water pressure can spell disaster in laboratories where some operations, such as distillations, are dependent on water. Ideally, an audible alarm would indicate the lack of water pressure. Laboratory supply houses sell water flow indicators that can be placed in series with the water line to equipment. When water is flowing, a brightly colored ball in a clear tube will move or a small propeller will turn. These can be observed from a considerable distance by watchful laboratory personnel. 

Safety signs of approved types, available from laboratory supply houses and safety equipment dealers, should be posted in appropriate spots. The door leading out of the laboratory should be marked EXIT, while the door to a back room should be marked NO EXIT. The location of a fire extinguisher must be clearly marked. Signs are available for every type of hazard. Homemade signs not conforming to official standards should not be considered. 

One laboratory used industrial-type brass valves for many of their water outlets, rather than the more expensive chrome plated ones available from the laboratory supply house. While their appearance was different, their performance was the same. To make the valves look better to both laboratory workers and visitors, the manager would occasionally treat them vdth metal polish. 

Laboratory supply houses feature sink-mounted faucets heavily plated with inert metals for DI water. Less expensive plastic valves, available from plumbing supply houses, may be used as long as they contain no metal parts. Self-closing valves, while more expensive, will substantially reduce DI water consumption. 

Laboratory sinks should be deeper than those commonly used in kitchens in order to make glassware rinsing easier and to minimize splashing. A trip to a nearby plumbing supply house will reveal a large variety of sinks available. 

A compressed air line generally terminates with a valve and a pressure regulator. Such regulators are available from laboratory supply houses, but less expensive ones from stores selling welding supplies may often be acceptable. 

Mail order companies often offer excellent service. Their catalogs sometimes list specialty items not sold elsewhere, such as unique pH electrodes or plastic products. Both laboratory supply houses and mail order companies may sell popular types of instruments under their own private labels at substantial savings. 

Obtaining bids from two or more suppliers is highly recommended for larger orders at start-up. The prices quoted may come as a pleasant surprise, since a supply house will put its best foot forward when bidding on equipment for a new laboratory. If they... 

A laboratory supply house will require credit information before accepting an order from a new customer. This is generally a simple procedure. 

For day-to-day supplies, a good relationship must be established with a supply house, preferably a local one. If one company does not handle all the items needed, more than one will have to be used. A long-term relationship with supply houses offers many advantages. First of all, significant discounts may be offered. An outside salesman will drop by periodically and become familiar with the laboratory s operation. Based on such information, he may be helpful with recommendations. 

Cleaning bnishes of all sizes and shapes are foimd in catalogs from laboratory supply houses. A generous supply of the types needed should be kept on hand. 

Where are quality tools available Laboratory supply houses sell handy tool kits for normal repair and maintenance jobs. They may come in compaifmented boxes or pouches that are easy to carry to where they are to be used. Such organization also makes it simple to spot a tool left behind on a job. Unfortunately, kits are often quite expensive and may contain some tools that will never be needed, or they may lack tools required in a certain laboratory. In such cases, tools are best obtained separately from hardware... 

The PEM is relatively expensive at this point in time. We paid about 100 for a 30.5 centimeter by 30.5 centimeter (12 inch by 12 inch) piece of Nafion 117 from a chemical supply house. Some manufacturers want your first born child in exchange for a sample. However, du Pont really is in the PEM business, and they will sell it to you with no strings attached from their pilot plant production. The price comes down to about 65 for the same size piece when you buy four times as much PEM direct from du Pont. The piece we bought was large enough to make about six of our round fuel cells ( 10— 16/ce 11). 

That s probably why the company has stopped making this unit. Anything simple and rugged is not likely to need a lot of attention, nor is it likely to go out of fashion, and there s little profit in that. The individual pieces can be bought from many chromatographic supply houses. Just follow the directions for connections given here. 

Specially purified solvents are available from chemical supply houses for many extraction procedures. In situations where this is not the case, then the highest-purity solvent and other reagents should be used and should be checked to make sure they are compatible in all respects with the analysis to be carried out. This means that solvents do not add analytes of interest nor do they add impurities that could interfere with the analysis. 

Bayberry wax, also known as myrtle or laurel wax, is obtained from the berries of various species of Myrica. The commercial wax, prepared from the berries of Myrica cerifera, may be obtained from chemical supply houses for about 0.60 per pound. The relative proportions of myristin and palmitin in bayberry wax varies somewhat, but these two compounds constitute about 95 per cent of the wax. 

A relatively simple method for removing dust accumulated on the floor is by wetting it down with water, perhaps aided by a wetting agent available from any supply house. The moist dust can then be swept up into a suitable container. Additional vacuum cleaning may be necessary when the dust accumulates in places other than the floor. 

Dimethoxybenzaldehyde can be purchased from chemical supply houses for 25 per 75 gms or it can be made from the formula given in the precursor section of this book. 

Dimethoxybenzaldehyde. (This can be purchased for a modest fee from chemical supply houses. If you prefer to use the "make your own" method of procurement see the procurement chapter, then follow the instructions below.) Aust. J. Chem. 21, 2979 (1968). Make a mixture of 50 g 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 200 ml dimethylsulfate, 250 g K2CO3, in one liter of acetone, and reflux for 4 hours. Distill the acetone off and extract the residue with 1 liter of ether. Wash the extracts with two 100 ml portions of coned ammonium hydroxide, two 100 ml portions of... 

Chloral Hydrate. (An ethane derivative.) Chloral hydrate is one of the easiest drugs to make in this entire book. It is an effective hypnotic, that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach, and produces dulled sensoiy and motor functions, that last for 6 to 8 hours. The dose is from 250 mg to 1,500 mg. Chloral can be purchased at most any chemical supply house, eliminating the need for performing the first part of this synthesis. Chloral is not very suspicious (unless you re buying it by the 55 gallon drum), so you should have no trouble in making chloral hydrate directly from chloral. 

Anhydrous Ethyl Ether. This is for those formulas calling for dry, pure, or anhydrous ether. The ether product from above is dried over thin slices of metallic sodium (metallic sodium wire works well also) for 24 hours. Then the ether is distilled on a water bath, over fresh (fresh means a different batch than what you used to dry with) metallic sodium. Note Ether develops explosive peroxides upon sitting for any length of time, even if just purchased from a supply house. Therefore, before handling ether, which has been stored, shake with ferrous sulphate or with lead peroxide. To keep peroxides from forming in fresh ether add several sections of copper or iron wire to the dark container and store in a cool place. 

Here is a list of chemical suppliers that are legitimate businesses. It is true that the DEA often sets up fake supply houses, giving great prices on hard to find items, such as lysergic acid, to lure underground chemists into traps. These suppliers listed below are not part of any law organization. They are major suppliers only. However, they are required by law to report sales of certain substances. Note 800 telephone numbers are toll free. 

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