This is an excellent book. The author is very knowledgeable, and the book is well written. It is a must for anyone who is interested in amateur chemistry.

At first I picked this book to help with home-schooling, but it's a bit over my son's (and my) head. It also does not explain the theories as well as a plain school textbook. That said, this book is AWESOME! Every page made me want to go buy more chemisty stuff and try things. The experiments cover safety and post experiment waste disposal; things parents are concerned about.

Whether or not my son chooses to join me in "the lab", I can see several months of fascination and pure joy of learning ahead.

My husband bought this Make magazine Home Chemistry publication because we were familiar with Make and is hands-down more thorough than any other publication that we researched. My old chemistry books were too involved and used as reference books for me. The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments shows you the best ways to obtain basic lab equipment and chemicals necessary for the experiments and which ones can be obtained from local hardware stores. It's great way to make learning fun with all the necessary precautions but yet not so frustrating with the academic and technical jargon. It recommends a schedule of experiments for a typical high school program to experiments tackling more advanced chemistry curriculum. It covers simple experiments as separating and recovering sugar from sand as well as the concepts/types of latent fingerprinting recovery. I highly recommend checking it out if you home school or just want to study or relearn basic or advanced chemical properites in an applicable and understandable manner.

I have been involved in chemistry in one way or another for the biggest part of my life, and being a gold refiner by trade, I must say that I have never seen a text as simple to read and understand as this, for the lay person trying to get a start in the chemistry world... To the point, readable and understandable... A five year old could handle this book! With my prior knowledge, I was still riveted to this book... Excellent job! Bill Lewelling, Goldco Mining and Refining, Lakewood, Colorado

This book is an amazing value. I would pay 50 bucks for this book. Much of the book is full of very useful information about lab equipment and the chemicals you will need--where to find the chemicals, and the specific safety risks of each chemical. The experiments are simply in design, but lengthy enough to be significant learning experiences. Data tables and questions about the lab are included. I'm sure this will turn out to be a very valuable resource for my teaching of secondary science.

I bought this book with high hopes of learning some Chemistry.
All the reviewers raved about how wonderful it was and felt it was just what I was looking for.
Well, after going through several chapters, I've come to a different conclusion than everyone else posting here so I guess it's motivated me to at least write about my experiences.
The book starts out very well covering the basics on lab equipment, safety, disposal of chemicals, etc.
It gives a list of all the chemicals and lab equipment you'll need to do the experiments and places to buy them which some offer as complete kits.
Great, I can buy the kits and just get down to doing the experiments - wrong.
After having invested several hundred dollars in this venture, with each new experiment, there is something missing that I need to do the experiment which was not on the initial list of things needed.
Oh, I guess he explains that there are every day items that you'll need which you should find around the house or at any local hardware store or pharmacy. I've spent too much of my time running around to hardware stores, pharmacy's and other places looking for items that I still don't have (after spending lots of $$$ on the kits that include 'everything you need'). I feel each experiment is a scavenger hunt. Place after place would not have what I was suppose to easily find either.
I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this.
I thought I would buy the chem kits and be able to just sit down and do experiments ... nothing further from the truth. Expect to be out on a scavenger hunt - for every experiment.
OK, enough of that.
My next disappointment is that the experiments are not explained very well in what the underlying objective and theory you're proving is.
I guess I can expect that since the title tells me that it's "All lab, No lecture". Don't expect this to teach you what you should really be learning from doing these experiments. Your only doing what he tells you to do and you move on. Well, I'd like to know a little more about what just happened so I understand what I just did and how that might be applied in other ways. However, you just move on to the next experiment.
I guess if you have a thorough understanding of general chemistry and just want some lab experiments outlined for you, then this is the book for you. However, I would venture to guess that if you already had a good understanding of general chemistry, you would have no need for this book. So what audience is this book trying to target??? I don't know.

If you're looking to learn chemistry, this is not the book.
If you think you're going to be able to just sit down and start doing experiments after buying the chem kits and lab equipment kits, you're wrong. You'll be on plenty of scavenger hunts with some items hard to find and after each experiment you'll be left asking yourself, "What did I just learn?".
If this author would have taken the time to have provided the Lecture with the Lab, this might have been a very good book to learn chemistry since I've had a hard time finding "Lecture" with the "Lab" books.

I guess I'm the only one who's found this to be a disappointment thus far.

There are many excellent theory books suitable for high school and early university chemistry courses but few really good practical manuals. Many lab manuals are ad hoc productions of variable quality geared to the school or college teaching the subject.

Robert Thompson's book is an excellent guide to performing interesting experiments that complement the theoretical instruction in a course.

Thompson discusses lab safety, how to obtain chemicals and equipment needed for the labs and potential legal hazards of some chemicals.

Chemistry cannot be learned effectively just in a classroom, it's necessary also to learn the planning, observational and manual skills required to become adept at preparing and mixing solutions and observing results. Also emphasised is the need to write up results so that they can be repeated later or by others.

This book is an excellent companion to a chemical lab course and well complements chemistry theory taught in the classroom. It would also be most useful to someone performing chemistry experiments as a hobby.

Many other reviewers have made comments about the demise of home chemistry sets and their youthful experiences. I echo many of the same thoughts. Without going in to the details suffice to say that I loved my chemistry set and still relish those youthful memories. I have long lamented the fact that you can no longer buy a decent home chemistry set. Thompson's book addresses this problem and fills a much needed niche. This by far the best book around if you want to setup your own chemistry lab and conduct experiments at home.

This is a real how to book that addresses the practical issues of setting up a chemistry lab and conducting experiments. In addition to the chapters that deal with the actual experiments, there are chapters on safety, equipment, and where to find chemicals. There is also good discussion about the disposal of chemicals and a realistic and practical discussion about the dangers of chemicals.

I've had a copy of the book for a couple of months. I've had the opportunity to read much of it and actually try some of the experiments. I don't have a lot of room for a lab but that hasn't stopped me from experimenting. I originally obtained the book for my son but I have to admit I find it more interesting and useful than he does. While he is interested in chemistry and has enjoyed out experiments he is too busy with other things to really get into it at the moment. I hope that will change after the summer ends and we settle in for the winter. I plan to incorporate chemistry into our home schooling program and this book is the perfect tool to help guide my efforts.

The bottom line is that this book is educational, practical and fun. I recommend it for anyone interested in learning about basic practical chemistry. If you are a parent and your child is interested in chemistry you need this book. It will be invaluable for home school parents who plan to teach chemistry and as a supplement for high school chemistry students. I would not be surprised to find that chemistry teachers adopted this book in their own curriculum.

As one of the other reviewers wrote, this book has much more than what you would get with a typical chemistry "toy" kit. Everything is well explained in detail, from the level of quality and what equipment to buy, where to obtain chemicals, and the steps for each experiment. The experiments have a full explanation of process being investigated, questions and calculations to make real quantitative assessments.

My son had been asking me about science experiments we could do at home. I had fond memories of my chemistry kit as a child, but found the current ones pathetic. I found this book to be the perfect remedy. The supporting web site is also a wonderful resource. We are just starting to slowly work through the projects. I expect this to be a great bonding experience as well as an educational experience.

I still remember getting my first chemistry set from a school teacher aunt when I was 10 or 11. About 30 small bottles of chemicals, and instructions for mixing them in various ways. You could make concoctions that would smoke in different colors, compounds that would fizz and bubble, turn liquids to solids, solids to liquids, the list goes on. It was my first introduction to science, and the lessons took, as I became a scientist. Unfortunately, liability concerns and nanny-statism have pulled most chemistry sets off the market, and young would-be scientists don't have the chance to learn about chemistry on their own

Robert Bruce Thompson is attempting to remedy the situation with this book. It is based less on a theoretical consideration of chemistry than a practical exploration or things one can do in a home lab. The theory is there, but couched in the discussion of the experiments. He takes appropriate care to emphasize safety, and for those looking for the capabilities to make explosives, there are no home-brew directions for that. Reasonably priced choices for purchasing home equipment and chemicals are discussed, the reasons for the various utensils required are given. The book also includes review questions for those who wish to prove their mastery of a subject.

The target age ranges for the book range from early teen years for some unusually serious adolescents to later teens for most others. And of course it's ideal for the interested adult. If you have a teen with science aspirations or interest, this book might provide a great experience for them, and the chance for you to provide mentoring as well. Highly recommended.

This book provides an excellent guide on how to learn about chemistry since chemistry sets like the one I had as a kid are no longer available. The author provides a great deal of chemical knowledge that I would loved to have had as a teenager. The experiments in this book are far more interesting than the ones that were in my chemistry set as a kid.

The one point I would make is that I would make is that many of these experiments are potentially dangerous. You should follow the author's safety advice to the letter. High school age students might do these experiments without adult supervision. Children any younger than that should have adult supervision.

Are you a frustrated chemist who never outgrew their fascination with the home chemistry kits of the good old days? Back when people took responsibility for their actions and "product liability" wasn't the fear of every company out there? This is the EXACT book you need to get in order to rekindle that love or to pass it on to a new generation... Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture by Robert Bruce Thompson. You won't get a simple "isn't it cool how this changes color?" approach to science. Thompson covers serious stuff, complete with best practices, methodologies for recording your experiments, and plenty of safety tips along the way. After working through this book, you'll be further ahead than most entry-level college students.

Contents:
Introduction; Laboratory Safety; Equipping a Home Chemistry Lab; Chemicals for the Home Chemistry Lab; Mastering Laboratory Skills; Separating Mixtures; Solubility and Solutions; Colligative Properties of Solutions; Introduction to Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry; Reduction-Oxidation (Redox) Reactions; Acid-Base Chemistry; Chemical Kinetics; Chemical Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle; Gas Chemistry; Thermochemistry and Calorimetry; Electrochemistry; Photochemistry; Colloids and Suspensions; Qualitative Analysis; Quantitative Analysis; Synthesis of Useful Compounds; Forensic Chemistry; Index

I *did* say it was far more than just changing the colors of liquids in a test tube...

You can tell that Thompson has a real love of this field. He starts off with his story of how he got interested in chemistry, as well as how this book would map to a first or second year chemistry course. He explains the value of keeping a laboratory notebook in a way that will meticulously track your results and offer a chain of evidence should you stumble upon the next great compound. Safety and supplies follow that, and he does an excellent job in balancing risk and reward, cost and budget. Instead of just saying that you should avoid anything that can possibly injure you, he advises you on how to protect yourself, how to safely handle chemicals that could react in a dangerous fashion, and generally do what you need to do without fearing every little step. After the supplies, you get a course in the chemicals you'll need to obtain to do many of these experiments. Some are fairly easy to get, while others have become more controlled and restricted over the years. Still, he points you to sources and alternatives that will keep this from becoming an overly expensive habit. After a final chapter on laboratory skills, you start getting into the good stuff... mixing chemicals to observe reactions!

The lab exercises are laid out in a straight-forward, easy to follow fashion. Your prep work is covered, along with the supplies and chemicals you need. The procedures follow, along with pictures to show appropriate information. Finally, there are areas to record your observations, answer questions, and try variations on the exercises. All in all, a complete package to learn the particular subject matter being covered. While some of the lab exercises might seem somewhat esoteric in terms of what you're learning, others are extremely practical (like the entire chapter on forensic chemistry). But in all cases, Thompson is laying the groundwork for a complete and solid understanding of chemistry, while having some fun along the way.

Obviously by reading the table of contents, you're not going to give this book to your eight year old and turn them loose in your garage. However, a teenager with solid leanings to chemistry will get a lot of value from this book. Likewise, the adult who somehow lost his or her way to the lab in the course of growing up can rediscover their passion. Teachers can get some new ideas and freshen up their classes... All in all, a great book that brings life to a subject that far too many students and adults fear and dread...

Just one word of advice... packing this book as reading material on a plane may *not* be the best idea... it'd be easy for someone to get the wrong idea as to what you're up to... :)

This book is dangerous. It will cause kids to start thinking. There is a definate risk that they will starting wanting to learn about the world around them instead of just studing the answers to a test. I am old enough I remember chemistry sets under the christmas tree and a high school chemistry class were students actually did experiements instead of just watching. DO you, or your childern, want to actually learn chemistry? Then get this book.

This is another well written, well researched book produced by Mr. Thompson. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in actual hands-on experience in "wet" chemistry.

Most people know of Mr. Thompson by his "Building/Repairing PC..." series of books along with his wife, Barbara Fritchman Thompson. This "Make" book will be an excellent companion to any home schooling course in chemistry. It will also make an excellent supplement to any high school chemistry course to help ignite the future chemists this country will need.

Three of my own children have now completed high school chemistry and the lab work is not even close to what's presented in this book. The labs in this book harken back to my own high school chemistry class in the early 1970's. That was when high school chemistry was equivalent to university level courses. This book will help any student who takes an "AP" level high school chemistry course.

Good work, Mr. Thompson, I look forward to your next "Make" book.

Robert Bruce Thompson's Preface to this fine book took me back to a Christmas many years ago:

"My parents had been watching my brother and me ripping through gifts like Tasmanian Devils. Just as I'd decided that I hadn't gotten the one gift that I really, really wanted, mom and dad called me into the kitchen. There it sat, on the kitchen table, exactly what I'd been hoping for. It was already unboxed and spread wide open to show the contents. My father said, 'This is from your mother and me. It is not a toy.'

"It was a Lionel/Porter/Chemcraft chemistry set, and the exact model I'd asked for. The biggest one, with dozens of chemicals and hundreds of experiments. Glassware, an alcohol lamp, a balance, even a centrifuge. Everything I needed to do real chemistry. I instantly forgot about the rest of my presents, even the BB gun. I started reading the manual, jumping from one experiment to another. I carefully examined each of the chemical bottles. The names of the chemicals were magical. Copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, sulfur, cobalt chloride, logwood, potassium ferricyanide, ferrous ammonium sulfate, and dozens more."

My parents gave me a similar (albeit simpler) kit when I was twelve, and it was one of the most educational presents I ever received. My interest in science broadened from chemistry and then from the sciences to other areas of interest, but I still remember some of the wonder, the magic, even, of those chemistry experiments. As soon as I heard about O'Reilly's series on DIY Science, I pre-ordered this first entry as a present to myself.

As a generalist, Thompson has re-introduced me to those magical years so long ago. Of course, modern chemistry kits are little more than toys, "defanged" as Thompson writes because of product liability concerns of the kit makers. And there are real dangers here; "After all, some of the experiments in this book use concentrated acids, flammable liquids, corrosives, and poisons. In one experiment we manufacture napalm, for heaven's sake. Will readers of this book be dropping like flies, blowing themselves up, burning the house down, or growing extra arms? Of course not. Dangers can be dealt with. One of the recurring lessons throughout this book is the importance of assuming personal responsibility for useful but dangerous actions--understanding the specific risks and taking the necessary steps to minimize or eliminate them."

Thompson does an excellent job of teaching responsible teenagers and curious adults to learn about chemistry by doing real laboratory experiments, and doing them well and safely. There are four introductory sections dealing with safety, equipment, chemicals and laboratory skills. The substance of the book lies in seventeen chapters devoted to specific topics: from separating mixtures to synthesis of compounds and forensic chemistry.

I can't imagine a more useful book for a responsible teenager who has the least interest in science or for a general reader who wants to re-learn the principles of chemical changes. (I've already placed an order for glassware and a few other essential bits of equipment.)

Robert C. Ross 2008