So Im sure many of us use OTC chems for extractions, but most of them ive found to be unsuitable after evaporation tests or when reading through msds - especially the large scale commercial brands. That said, i do know of some that are very pure, but i was hoping maybe some users could give me some insight into what other brands are either very clean or totally pure - you guys who distill your solvents could be particularly helpful, since the different fractions could potentially even indicate which other substances are added, and if they're toxic or relatively safe.

One thing i know of is resinbond. Its a 100% dichloromethane acrylic cement. It can be purchased without any hassle at most sign shops - i live in a town of 50,000 and had no trouble locating it from several sources. Evaporates free of residue, and since its designed to join plastic that makes sense, as additives would likely prevent that happening.
http://www.sfsupplies.co...oductfiles/resinbond.pdf

Rooto Rooto drain cleaner claims 100% NaOH, anyone have experience with it?

I personally shy away from all the klean strip products - their acetone is clearly contaminated. I've never evaporated their Naphtha to dryness, so couldnt say, but was hoping somebody might have some experience with that. So, im wondering if anything they sell is pure.

Ill leave alcohols out of this, since their pretty easy to obtain pure.

I believe Bestine is 100% heptane
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~safety/MSDS/BESTINE%20SOLVENT%20&%20THINNER.htm

When pickling lime is available, its usually of high purity as well.

So yeah, im looking for any input as well - acids, bases, and non polars. especially from you home distillers. Let me know

BTW mods, theres probably a better place to put this, but im still on probation, so this is the most appropriate place in my grasp

Maybe we should start a wiki page?

Roebic Crystal Drain Opener is 100% lye.

Most people already know, but VM&P Naptha evaps clean.

haha no kidding - theres a guy looking for dcm too. perfect.

I've been looking for dcm as well. I can't find any that's pure. From what I've seen you can distil it but I'm not too comfy with that yet.

Afaik, you really can't say brand x is good or bad, unless we're talking USP solvents. For solvents you are purchasing from a hardware store, the composition can change from one can to the next. I've had some klean strip products that evap clean and others that do not. You should always do an evap test, regardless of whether you think the brand you have is safe or not, as there is no quality control for these solvents because they're not meant to be used in procedures where people will be ingesting the end product.

Also, VM&P is not a brand of naphtha...it stands for varnish makers & painters naphtha. You can get VM&P naphtha from a number of different companies.

glad to be of service, haha. I had a hard time finding anything on the forums so started hitting the msds.

haha, no kidding? roebic has a mfg plant near me, but i dont think i can get it in stores. thats kinda what im getting at - stuff you can get at the store without credit card numbers bank accounts etc - nameless anonymous transactions. not that im doing anything beyond small scale. just precautions.