By that I mean you would be able to perform the chemistry as well as be able to modify and improve it. Yes, I mean improve it, a lot of the chemistry in those books is from the 1960's and 1970's. There have been enormous advances in synthetic methodology since then. When I read those recipes I understand exactly what is happening at each step is and why it is being done, the reason for the choice of solvent, temperature, catalyst, etc. If you mean by understand just to perform the procedures without modification, a BS might be enough if you get a lot of laboratory experience.8)Hum I remember Terence Mckenna saying to make DMT is something like a second year chemistry final. Either way it seems like it would take quite a bit of learning to be able to make these psychedelics. Thanks for your input.It depends what you mean by understand. To really understand the organic chemistry in Pihkal and Tihkal you need a PhD.
Yeah it's not something I really want to get into probably, that is if it's going to take four years. It was a nice thought while it lasted though.
Yeah... you really cant do any of that stuff until you move past working wiht inert atmospheres. I can tell you this much...
After 3 years of majoring in chemistry at The University of Connecticut i didnt learn shit about actual lab work. Sure we did basic stuff but we didnt even learn to vacuum distill anything which is huge if you can not work in a vacuum you can not distill a lot of organic substances. Everything i learned was "theory" so like i can do draw out pi bonding orbitals and prove how orbitals interact as their valence electrons approach one another but that isnt a real world skill. Then there is the whole knowing how to actually work in a lab Uconn taught me to be comfortable in the lab but it wasnt until i took my actual college courses into my house that started learning real chemistry.
When you really learn chemistry you learn to respect a lot of stuff. As the above person mentioned it does not take much to end up like this:
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/...ids-prison-fatal-lab-fire-20140620-story.html
Pretty sure she was incinerated in front of people too. I really dislike how the internet makes knowledge and skill seem easily had, do you go climb mount Everest because someone posted how to do so in a forum using beer bottles and glue? Instant access to information doesnt make you an expert, it gives you an opportunity to learn but the road is long for a reason and chemistry has the type of rep it has for a reason, its not easy or forgiving.
Now ask yourself if I, who have been into chemistry since i first encountered it on TOTSE, a website in the 90s basically for the anarchists cookbook and stuff, then majored at a university took classes called "advanced inorganic 1 and 2" yet even i am afraid of working with LAH because a lot of things are unforgiving and are literally looking for a way to kill you, do you think your ready? It starts by being able to tell the difference between a florence flask and an erlenmeyer flask
Plus it makes you look super heady having those laying around.
I would think just having the books in specific settings, without any glassware or intent of owing any, could cause unneeded trouble. You can go "but its freedom of knowledge" all you want but it doesnt stop you from having to get a lawyer and have them explain what you were doing with them to people who dont believe you.