I want to experiment the things which we learn in chemistry as a twelfth grader.I want to do them at my home but I'm not supplied with enough reactants.What can I do by using such reactants.
I tried to carry out paper chromatography at home and that was the separation of a mixture of inks. I didn't have filter paper so I used a tracing paper. My solvent was a common organic solvent. But to my dismay,solvent front didn't rise so high. So my experiment didn't succeeded but I'm hopeful I can do other things too which'd be successful. It was first experiment
Can someone recommend a few projects/experiments (or sources that do the same) for a school student who's looking to improve her understanding of basic chemistry?
Answer
My favorite "textbook" on home-chemistry is the Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments (Robert Brent).
It's a neat little book, and since it was published so long ago (1960s) it's not really available as a (literal) book these days. But fear not, because the PDF version can be easily found online!
A reliable place to download it from is archives.org.
Small warning:
I wouldn't recommend this to young children because quite a few experiments/projects mentioned there make use of an open flame (that's pretty much the only reason...). So be sure to conduct them in an open space far from anything inflammable.
Maybe this is the book/resource you're looking for? ;)
(A spot of light reading)
However, as the gents in the comments section have pointed out, conducting home-experiments won't (necessarily) make you a "Chemist". But I highly recommend you experiment (safety is important too) as frequent as you can, because over time it can firmly root a scientific bent of mind in you.
Intelligence, inquisitiveness and experience (and empathy) are highly prized values in the scientific world.
Besides, as you experiment at home (while you are still a high-school student) you'll soon stumble upon an extremely important idea:
No real experiment can be perfectly replicated
And you can only come to truly appreciate this fact when you experiment yourself...a lot.
No matter what experiment you do, no matter how perfect your set-up or procedure is, every time you conduct the same experiment you will never get the exact same result. Right now this "idea" may not seem like much (as a high-schooler, you might initially find this unbelievable), but its implications are profound and far-reaching.
That the fact that replicating experiments perfectly is impossible will soon lead you to another piece of insight: Probablity & Statistics rule science.
(End of light reading session)
Stemming from @andselisk's idea (in the comments under your post), you might find the following Youtube channels interesting (I'll try to add more when I get the time):
The next two are largely DIY channels, but some of their videos include projects that count as "Chemistry":
Thus armed with this knowledge, you shall sally forth and become a chemist (of sorts...)!
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