Re: [DIYbio] Re: civil disobedience and diybio

Bryan:

The OP was not discussing any project in specific, just saying that any project that involves chemical synthesis would be illegal to perform at home. I picked an example synthesis to show how a practical reaction which is fairly easy to do and is legal to do can have unintended consequences. I am certain of the outcome: but if you're not careful, the average DIY person reading and repeating published methods in reputable journals might be misled if they take what is written at face value. It requires two chemicals which can be obtained easily, and refluxing in a mix of ethanol and water. It's not the legality of any hypothetical non-dea-regulated synthesis that is the barrier to the home or DIY lab that's the problem, it's what to do next- if you try any follow on work based on what you made, that research would be worthless, whether illegal then to take as a drug or not. The regs exist not to prevent you from doing good work, but to prevent the haphazard use of dangerous materials. It's like a "beware of dog" sign. The dog may or may not be a killer, most likely not. But, you're warned that the relationship might turn sour quickly if you're not careful, and play nice.

In schools, organic chem lab is typically e.g. "make methyl salicylate" but once you've made it,you just throw it in the waste bin. This mode of teaching is absurd and wasteful, and probably why so many people treat chem techniques as a dark art practiced by evil people. Making things glow green is fun and a learning experience, but if all you learn is how to do that one trick, you're just a circus animal. The real fun begins when you put lots of steps together, and do something not in a recipe book.

Matt

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