In article ,
"Egremont" writes:
Well, of late I've tried to get stuff like ammonia for cleaning and, more
optomistically, dilute HCL for de-scaling and just got a look of bemusement
from behind the counter. I came to the conclusion that the old fashioned
Chemist doesn't exist any more -they are now Pharamacies selling drugs, cold
cures and the like but not household chemicals.

As a teenager, I used to buy chemicals from our local chemist.
They were rarely in stock, but they had two deliveries a day
as needed to get the more obscure prescription in drugs anyway,
and could order chemicals in the same way. I've still got a
bottle of ferric chloride from back then (used for etching
circuit boards). I remember ordering all sorts of things for
doing chemistry experimentation at the time.

I often wonder if kids still do any practical work in chemistry
lessons nowadays. I'm pretty certain they wouldn't be allowed
to do a number of the things we did.

--
Andrew Gabriel