Chemistry FAQ
Chemistry FAQ
Chemistry FAQ
General Information
- Safety & Disposal Questions: In this order: Keith Barker x6377, Michael Richardson x6343, and Phebe Bowman x6325
- Quality Issues: Bobby Minor x7693 or CPMI Product Information x4388
- Stock or Shipping Questions: John Long x7880
- Technical Support: CPMI Product Information x4388
Specialty Chemical Questions
- Classroom teachers and their chemical needs are #1, go the extra mile.
- We’re happy to supply commercial & industrial customers with existing products in existing sizes.
- NO special orders for specialty chemicals or bulk sizes for commercial or industrial customers.
- We DO NOT carry any USP (pharmaceutical grade, FCC (food grade), or organic chemicals. No chemicals for cosmetics, food, or drugs.
- We DO NOT provide Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) or Certificates of Conformance (CoCs) for our chemicals.
Shelf Life Questions
- For most chemicals, at least 1 year if stored in cool, dark, dry conditions in the original, tightly capped bottle.
- Dry chemicals (gram measurements) typically have a longer shelf life.
- Solutions (mL or L measurements) typically have a longer shelf life.
- If there is a question about the viability of a biological reagent (Benedict’s solution, Biuret reagent, Iodine-Potassium-Iodine, etc.) suggest they test it before using with their class.
- Buffers have a printed expiration date based on the date of manufacture, usually 18 months.
- Refrigerated/Cold Storage (Ex: Enzymes) are good for 6 months or so.
SDS Questions
- Safety Data Sheets are available on the Resources tab for each chemical.
- Carolina kits include a QR code in the Teacher’s Manual to access SDS for kit chemicals.
- To access a list of Safety Data Sheets, search “SDS” on website.
- If a customer has trouble finding an SDS, contact CPMI Helpline (x4388) or Keith Barker (x6377).
- Carolina is GHS compliant – labels and SDS
Shipping Questions
- CBS chemicals can only be shipped to a school or business address
- Homeschoolers, science fair folks, hobbyists, and home business customer must have a valid school or business shipping address.
- Encourage science fair project parents to work with a teacher or science fair coordinator at their school to order and receive their chemicals at the school address.
Chemical Use Questions
- Q: How do I make a solution?
- A: Search “solution preparation” at carolina.com. Check out the first 3 Resource Suggestions:
- Q: What is the composition / What’s in this chemical?
- A: See section 3, “Composition / Information on Ingredients”, of the chemical’s SDS
- Q: What chemical grade do I need?
- A: Here’s a resource from the website for explaining chemical grades.
- A: Lab grade is sufficient for most general lab work
- A: Reagent and ACS grades are very high-quality chemicals for research or specialized work.
- Q: Is this the same chemical as something I already have?
- A: Check the CAS number for a match – printed on the bottle, the SDS, and on our website.
- Q: What is the particle size/specials usages/technical information for this chemical?
- A: Check the Item Comments in JDE first, someone may have asked this before!
- Q: Do we sample chemicals?
- A: No.
- Q: What is “denatured alcohol/denatured ethanol”?
- A: Ethanol, which is the same thing as grain alcohol, cannot be sold without a liquor license UNLESS it’s denatured. Denatured means that it includes additives that make the alcohol unfit for human consumption. All of Carolina’s Ethanol products are denatured. At Carolina, Ethanol is typically denatured with methanol and isopropanol.
- Q: How do I use this chemical for my hobby/business/industrial equipment/thing I found on the internet?
- A: We are NOT able to assist the vast majority of customer calls that are NOT teachers or science educators. We have safety information (see SDS), and some physical data (see SDS or JDE Item Comments), but we do not have info or advice on using chemicals for the unlimited chemical uses that are outside the science classroom.