07:45 – We’re working hard to get the first batch of forensic science kits ready to ship this week. Much remains to be done, but we’ll have a batch ready to ship later this week.
13:21 – Geez. After nearly melting a PET bottle a few days ago, you’d think I’d learn. Apparently not. I was making up Herzberg’s Stain this morning, using the saturated zinc chloride solution I made up a few days ago.
The instructions call for 125 mL of an iodine/iodide solution made up by dissolving 52.5 g of potassium iodide in 50 mL of water, adding 2.5 g of iodine crystals, swirling until they dissolve, and then making up the solution to 125 mL with water. That solution is mixed with 250 mL of saturated zinc chloride. So I carefully measured that amount of the zinc chloride solution and transferred it to a PET bottle. I then added the 125 mL of IKI solution with swirling. Of course, the solution immediately started heating up. Duh. So I quickly poured it into a polypropylene beaker and covered it with a watch glass so that it could cool down. Geez.