This can be made at home very easily with stuff bought OTC, if your interested in this let swim know.

I assume you are talking about reacting NaHCO3 with CaO (quicklime)?

It's ironic, but just today I went to the hardware store and looked around, and found some 100% NaOH. I didn't think you could still buy it anywhere, but there it was. Very affordable too. But, for the sake of inquiry, how does one make NaOH OTC?

Also, where does one get quicklime?

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lye

Lol. There's gotta be a better way. Electrolysis, maybe? I don't know much (anything) about electrochem but it can't be that hard to set up a NaOH cell.

membrane cell....

bridge two jars filled with a saturated sodium chloride solution with a porus membrane and run a high current through the cell.

the NaOH is evolved at the cathode.

http://www.stevesartstuff.co.uk/making_lye.htm

I used wayyyy long ago when i couldn't really find a source for basifying, some work, but it is nice :)

Not as good as NaOH, tho' but does the job :)

I know this will probably sound stupid and I'll likely regret asking this in the morning, but:

Would KOH work the same as NaOH in any specified synth that required NaOH? My hardware store only sells a mixture of the two, and I know the effects are the same ('cept with different stoichiometric amounts), but I've also seen synths that require specifically LiOH or KOH, and they never discussed a reason for this. :confused:

I know this will probably sound stupid and I'll likely regret asking this in the morning, but:

Would KOH work the same as NaOH in any specified synth that required NaOH? My hardware store only sells a mixture of the two, and I know the effects are the same ('cept with different stoichiometric amounts), but I've also seen synths that require specifically LiOH or KOH, and they never discussed a reason for this. :confused:

Well if your making different salts...

Well if your making different salts...

No, none of the synths that I saw were making different salts. Just basify with some alkaline metal hydroxide. I mean a hydroxide is a hydroxide but then why would it be specified?

No, none of the synths that I saw were making different salts. Just basify with some alkaline metal hydroxide. I mean a hydroxide is a hydroxide but then why would it be specified?

hmm i really have no clue, care to link me to one of them?

Thanks

hmm i really have no clue, care to link me to one of them?

Thanks

It was in Fester's book on LSD, but it was so long ago that I didn't really remember the reason. Now after looking it up I found:

"The use of lithium hydroxide is preferred because it doesn't absorb water from the air."

:o

I guess not, so no problem here. I swear I saw another but I'll continue like I didn't. :)

There are plenty of reasons certain hydroxides are used over others. Sometimes the PH of one is too high for the desired results, sometimes it is too strong, and will actually destroy things, or, more accurately, change equilibrium of the reaction resulting in totally different products than those desired, hence destroyed.

There are plenty of reasons certain hydroxides are used over others. Sometimes the PH of one is too high for the desired results, sometimes it is too strong, and will actually destroy things, or, more accurately, change equilibrium of the reaction resulting in totally different products than those desired, hence destroyed.

But why would the metal ions make any difference? It's just the hydroxide that reacts with the acid and all of them are equally soluble.

But why would the metal ions make any difference? It's just the hydroxide that reacts with the acid and all of them are equally soluble.

Good point.. the answer is.. i have no idea :(

Anyone?

I don't *think* it should in this case, remembering that it's metal ions floating around in solution after-all, and you've said you're not trying to 'make a sodium salt with potassium' :P


It would depend on what you're doing, but my initial thought is no.
However they don't have the same disassociation constants, so the pH from 1 mole of KOH will be different to one of NaOH.
I'd be cautious if rates of reactions or a pH more specific then "high" are important to what you're doing.

But why would you want to use KOH anyway? I've bought NaOH at a supermarket. I don't actually know where I could get a hold of KOH.

I know this will probably sound stupid and I'll likely regret asking this in the morning, but:

Would KOH work the same as NaOH in any specified synth that required NaOH? My hardware store only sells a mixture of the two, and I know the effects are the same ('cept with different stoichiometric amounts), but I've also seen synths that require specifically LiOH or KOH, and they never discussed a reason for this. :confused:

Out of interest, is it either a yellow or Black plastic bottle with a child-safety top used for dissolving grease and hair in blocked pipes?

Out of interest, is it either a yellow or Black plastic bottle with a child-safety top used for dissolving grease and hair in blocked pipes?

I think it might be, but I'm not sure about the child safety thing. It was covered in a plastic ziplock bag. Wait, aren't you in the UK?

This can be made at home very easily with stuff bought OTC, if your interested in this let swim know.

if you live in the us it can be easily obtained,drain cleaner,used in industrial food packaging,also used in oilfield (drilling fluids) which can be an excellent source for hard to find chems,if your to paranoid to by the chems,as swils once said FIND A DEALER.
peace out swihpj

I think it might be, but I'm not sure about the child safety thing. It was covered in a plastic ziplock bag. Wait, aren't you in the UK?



Not normally although I am English/German. However, the bottle I saw was an American Bottle imported into the UK, it came in either a yellow or black bottle and was, sometimes, in some kind of plastic wrapping.

It was a mixture of KOH and NaOH and I know for a fact that it was used without problems in certain scenarios - It would depend what scenario it was to be used in - Basically, it should be OK to use for anything calling for a base unless it states otherwise or requires a low/gentle pH BUT definitely not if it states:

"Do not use KOH it creates a side-reaction with the **** and makes your balls drop off when smoked!! "
by Gerald the Eunuch :eek:

...just ensure you do extra research with anything that is in doubt, there's a ton of good info for every possible scenario these days. i.e. Don't accept one source as being 100% reliable, confirm the info with at least 2 or more independent sources.

Well research goes without saying; but thanks for that.

The only significant difference in the hydroxide salts, aside from obscure coordination reactions or other bizarre conditions, are the hygroscopicness and the solubility in various non-water solvents.

The only significant difference in the hydroxide salts, aside from obscure coordination reactions or other bizarre conditions, are the hygroscopicness and the solubility in various non-water solvents.

Or the relative stability / nucleophilicity / general reactivity of the resultant ionic species - particularly applicable when considering enolate chemistry...

drain cleaner O.o

but the best i can get is 55%....

drain cleaner O.o

but the best i can get is 55%....

Hardware store....

This thread bugs me, if you can't find NaOH you shouldn't be using it.

There, I said it!

This thread bugs me, if you can't find NaOH you shouldn't be using it.

There, I said it!

*high five*