Budget Pill Tester

Budget Pill Testa

Yo.
Just out of curiosity, is it possible to "manufacture" your own marquis test? The new scientist article published a few posts down mentions that the marquis reagent is a mix of sulphuric acid and formaldehyde. Is this true? I have access to both these chemicals and i'm too povvo to go out and but an ez test or anthing mostly because all my money as of late has gone to stockpiling, and also buying a mandelin test i'm not quite happy with. Oh, and if it is true, would anyone know the concentrations required? Thanks y'all.

hey, sorry to blow into ure posting, but i was wondering if there was anywhere in sydney that you can get a proper ez test without ordering over the net. thanx

I would strongly warn against making Marquis reagent yourself, unless you have a solid background in practical chemistry. The two substances in question are both very nasty, and any mixing of them should be done in a proper fume-hood, in a real lab.
As for where to buy one in Sydney check this thread:

NSW
Sydney- Reachin Records, Central Station Records
Last time I checked they were selling for about $22.00. That really isn't much money, it is certainly a lot less than you would pay for one pill. There used to be a group in Sydney who were selling them cheap, as enlighten does in melb, but I havent heard anything from them in a long time...

Click to expand...

I love it where people cant spend $20 on a pill testing kit, which in theory could save them thousands of dollars, not to mention the physical and mental complications of dud pills.
Stockpiling... yeah....priorities....

$20?

In Denial clothing inbetween the George St. Cinemas and Town Hall sell a Marquis reagent for around $20 or $30.
Otherwise it's around $50 for the EZ Test Classic or $60 for the EZ Test Xtreme at Central Station Records.
And if you get one for the love of god don't eat any of it, it'll make you hurt
(don't ask)

thanx everyone, bought one today from Reachin ($25 cos its not the offical one) also think its a smaller bottle. Central Records sold EZ Classic for $50

I work with both of those chems most days. They don't react violently... and perhaps we should... but we never use a fume hood. Sometimes if we're dispensing bulk formaldehyde we turn a fan on I get headaches :D
heehee, yes it's a good ide to use a fume hood, but if you're not working with large amounts of pure concentrates, it's not necessary... and if you are working with concentrates in big volumes, you're probably working in a lab and either don't use a fumehood anyway or have ready access to one
Basic knowledge of chemical safety is of course necessary before you start playing with any toxic/flammable/corrosive substances.
[ 11 May 2002: Message edited by: entropope ]

Aaaarrrgghhh! I work with fume hoods. I handle both chemicals on a day to day basis. I AM A LAB ASSISTANT. I was asking what concentrations and ratios, NOTHING ELSE! I assume no-one knows? Harm minimisation fair enough, but really....

Look up the works 'Marquis' and 'Mandellen' reagent. These are stardard reagents that have been around forever. If you are working in a lab, or around that environment, you should have access to such information.

Dude i work in a lab that tests for pesticides in a range of substances. No marquis reagent. I own a mandelin kit. (see above)

stakka: well fuck you. you didn't mention any of that in your original post. i could put up links to a dozen other times people have asked me the same question, mostly people with little or no knowledge of chemistry. if i hadn't made clear the danger i wouldn't have been doing my job. that is what harm minimisation is about, not me doing jedi tricks to read your mind and discover know your level of knowledge. i guess the reason i didn't automatically assume you had chemistry knowledge is that most people who do tend to know how to find this sort of information, or at the very least know how to use google...
now back to doing my job...
on page 19 of this .pdf you will find the preparation details for Marquis, as well as many other reagents.
a note for everyone: if you are going to ask a question, any question, please put all the relevant information about your question, and yourself, in the post. i am not a mind reader, and if you dont tell me i just have to guess. and let me say that i tend to go for the lowest common denominator, and i am seldom wrong...
[ 13 May 2002: Message edited by: johnboy ]

Thumbs up to the DnB Stakka!
(Aware that it's not relevant, but I love Stakka & Skynet, and rarely come across someone on Bluelight who knows their work)

Marquis would be pretty easy to make (that's why they can't patent it). If they did make pill testers illegal, it could be made at home.
9 parts concentrated sulfuric go with 1 part formaldehyde. Those little 5mL testers would cost them less than 40 cents to make and they sell them for $25, but you do get that nice colour chart! If you can afford pills a $25 tester shouldn't be to much trouble, considering the health benefits.
These chems can be nasty to your health. So it's not a great idea to DIY, unless you have experience handling these chemicals.
[ 14 May 2002: Message edited by: chupa chopped ]

do you know if there's any dilution in the testing kits we see? Or is it really necessary to use 100% (aka 99.5%) sulphuric and formaldehyde