Hey everyone. SWIM wants to get serious about recrystallizing his spice, and he's compiled a list of equipment that he figures will make the process easier and more refined. Shot glasses and baby food jars and mason jars are nice and all, but SWIM is a scientist, and he thirsts for lab equipment. (Beware... If you have work to do, keep away from eBay's lab supplies section... so many hours wasted browsing and drooling over custom flasks, vacuum desiccators, separatory funnels and distillation setups...)

He wants to know if this list is any good, and if there are any suggestions out there.

1 glass graduated cylinder - 50ml - $3.50 - For measuring out the proper amount of organic solvent.

1 glass boiling flask - 50ml - $2.49 - For heating up the organic solvent and dissolving the unpure spice.

1 glass funnel - 50mm - $2.60 - For funneling jungle spice into boiling flask, which has a small opening.

5 glass petri dishes w/ covers - 75mm - $10.00 - For the actual crystallization phase. SWIM already has a chrome biology probe, which, as it happens, has proven to be an ideal instrument for scraping and manipulating crystals. He figures that the flat surfaces and the over-all shallow nature of the petri dish will make scraping crystals very easy.

1 lab spatula - $2.15 - For handling spice in general.

So that's what SWIM figures is a complete small-scale recrystallization setup, for $21.

He's also considering purchasing zink powder (1#, $12.00) and Epsom salt (to be dehydrated in oven) for the long-term storage of his spice, which is kept in small amber vials with air-tight caps in the fridge.

Any suggestions?