The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Chemistry Set

The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Chemistry Set

Ah, the Christmas gifts of the 1950s!

"Most of the chemicals and equipment in these chemistry kits were harmless, but some would make even the most lenient modern parent worry: Sodium cyanide can dissolve gold in water, but it is also a deadly poison. Atomic chemistry sets of the 1950s included radioactive uranium ore. Glassblowing kits, which taught a skill still important in today’s chemistry labs, came with a blowtorch."

Here is a good walk-through of the vintage chemistry sets