Equipment & Reagent Exchange

[Ethan]

I apologize for clogging up the group with my threads, but I had an idea (shocking as that may seem). Looking through old threads, I couldn't really find much about exchanging laboratory equipment and reagents between members here. I think if some system were set up, it would be useful to a lot of DIYbio members. That said, I quickly whipped up a Google docs spreadsheet that could be used to list items that you want to sell or trade to other members here. The link is at the end of this message. All DIYbio members should have access, but it is a very real possibility that I screwed something up as this is my first Google doc spreadsheet.

I suppose some basic rules are needed:

Only list in empty cells. If your item is no longer available (has been sold, traded, etc) please remove it from the listing. At the very least put the item and your email so that you may be contacted, but more info is probably useful.

Let me know what you guys think of the idea.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AllwKjhg8CTsdEhiU2VvVkxyS1RIWTNDc3FVNEw3R2c#gid=0

[Jeswin]

I heard that in some places there are laws against buying lab
glassware out of fear of meth production. You guys should check your
laws before you do anything of this sort. Don't be caught on the wrong
side of the law.

Otherwise, a good idea. It would be very useful if we had more community labs.

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[Meredith L. Patterson]

AFAIK, "some places" == "Texas":

http://www.crscientific.com/texas-glassware.html

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RegulatoryServices/narcotics/narcprecursor.htm
has the full list of controlled equipment:

"Chemical laboratory apparatus" means any item of equipment designed,
made, or adapted to manufacture a controlled substance or a controlled
substance analogue, including:

(A) a condenser
(B) a distilling apparatus
(C) a vacuum drier
(D) a three-neck or distilling flask
(E) a tableting machine
(F) an encapsulating machine
(G) a filter, Buchner, or separatory funnel
(H) an Erlenmeyer, two-neck, or single-neck flask
(I) a round-bottom, Florence, thermometer, or filtering flask
(J) a Soxhlet extractor
(K) a transformer
(L) a flask heater
(M) a heating mantel or
(N) an adaptor tube

--mlp

[Jay Woods]

This makes DIY even more important. Make or adapt (from other non-regulated
items) the equipment yourself. That is not controlled by the Texas
regulations.

[mwfo...@gmail.com]

Is there a lawyer in house?

Seriously, when I read this:

"Chemical laboratory apparatus" means any item of equipment designed,
made, or adapted to manufacture a controlled substance or a controlled
substance analogue, including:

I thought a good lawyer could drive a truck though this statement. I have several Erlenmeyer flasks
but none were "designed, made, or adapted to manufacture a controlled substance". So does could
I legally own them in Texas or not? My guess is this is one of those laws that is used to
"pile on" somebody after they have been arrested for making crack. But the law being in Texas and
Texas being Texas who knows what would happen if some DIYer working with DNA in rural Texas
got poped.

Looks like it has the making of yet another Texas legal tragedy.

I would be concerned about this if I were in Texas.

Mike

[Simon Quellen Field]

Does the Vatican know that people in rural Texas are getting poped?

:-)

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[Dakota Hamill]

The only time I've heard of any agency becoming suspicious (and this is through the grape vine, so probably exaggerated) is when large volume glassware is purchased.  By large volume I mean, 1 or 2L round bottom flasks, 5L Erlenmeyer, giant heating mantles, large condensors, and even then I think it was all purchased in a short time frame, from the same ebay user, throwing up some flags.  But honestly it could have just been a story I don't even remember where I heard it from.

I don't think ordering some beakers or a 500mL distillation apparatus would warrant an investigation by the men in black.

I've seen some of our universities older glassware, probably from the 60-70's, just collecting dust on the shelves in the store room, but it's really crazy to see the scale they used to make things on.  I think I saw a Buchner funnel a foot across, 5 ft long glass columns for packing silica into, at least a 1L round bottom, a MASSIVE condenser, crazy stuff, and really neat to look at, took a skilled person some time to make them I am sure.

I've always wanted to know where and when states auction off their old laboratory supplies.  It seems you have to be a big spender and be willing to take large lots to be "invited", or that's what I've been told.

We wanted to sell some of the old glassware that had been collecting inches of dust for decades to raise money for our department since we are a low endowment state school, but sadly we were told it all belongs to the state and the only option they gave us was to give it to them and then they process it and ship it off to some other store room to sit for another few decades or be auctioned off.

Now to find out where state schools auction their old belongings...would be a treasure trove for people looking to get things on the cheap.

[mwfo...@gmail.com]

Oops! One p too few!

[Mackenzie Cowell]

Cool idea!  I hope other people add to the spreadsheet too.

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