Guide to Ghetto Chemistry
Starting out
So, you are an average Greytide and you want to be a Walter White. How do you do it?
Knowledge
- You need a decent understanding of chemistry: You are going to be cooking without the luxury of a chem dispenser after all, so you will need many additional steps for your workarounds.
- Without a method of analysing / separating chemicals you will even need to mix blindly, so you better know the reactions by heart if you don't want to end up with unhealthy impurities in your product.
- Make a plan of what to get and where to get it. Don't be afraid to make a small shopping-list.
- Think of
excusesvalid reasons and explanations ahead of time. The Detective will try to do his best to prevent you from learning more about chemistry, so be sure to not get locked up due to some unfortunate missunderstanding.
Tools of the trade
| Equipment | Rating | Description | Where to get | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 
|
Containers | Mandatory | A few containers for mixing your substances like beakers, soda cans, bottles, etc | Glasses and bowls from bar / kitchen, cans from vending-machines. Large 100u beakers can be bought in the station-store and make mixing a lot easier. You could also grow your own wood in the garden and make some buckets. |
|
Grinding-equipment | Mandatory | Needed to extract your chemicals from all kind of things. You can either go the long route and craft a mortar and pestle, which can only grind one item at a time though. Or you go for it and steal an all in one grinder. | The Bartender, the Cook, the Botanist and the Chemist have an all in one grinder, but will probably notice eventually. Remember that they can be bolted down, so you better bring a wrench. |
 
|
Heating-equipment | Semi-Mandatory | You can use lighters, matches and even welding tools to heat containers for certain recipes, and use them to burn certain things to make ingredients, like burning paper for ash. | Smoking-vending-machines, sometimes there are lighters in arrivals, the dorms or the bar. |
 
|
Measuring-equipment | Optional | Being able to measure small quantities opposed to 5u-sips will save you from handling a lot of beakers. Use a dropper or repurpose any emptied condiment bottle. A salt-shaker is fine, too. | Ask the chef to grind and bottle some food or grab a saltshaker from the bar. |
|
Extraction-equipment | Optional | Some chemicals can only be extracted with the use of a syringe or a dropper. | Ask around for both, or repurpose one of the Perfluorodecalin-syringes found in the antisuffocation-emergency-kits of those O2-lockers. |
|
Tables | Optional | You are going to be handling quite a few containers, so having a table is nice, so you don't spill your shit on the floor. Just make sure to remember which container is which when you put them all on the table | Craft them or move and reassemble them, using the tools found in the tool-storage |
|
Separation-equipment | Optional | A ChemMaster 3000 / Condiment Dispenser so you don't have to mix blindly anymore. This is going to make ghetto-chemistry so much easier since you can use it to determine, separate and bottle chemicals. | The Cook, the Botanist and the Chemist have one. Bring a wrench to move it and try to be stealthy - you are going to serve some time in the brig if you get caught. |
|
Friends | Optional | A couple friends (that is, if you have any). Do not underestimate the time needed to get all the necessary equipment and ingredients without raising suspicion. | Talk to anyone lurking around toolstorage or the bar without having the Bartender or any other bystanders call security on you. If you are really desperate and feel a bit lucky, you can always ask the Clown for help. |
TL;DR: Go to the holodeck and boot up the medical program!
It's getting hot in here
Since we don't have a machine to heat our chemicals, we have to do it by hand. To avoid meth explosions we should know how it works:
- Heating is independet of the chemical and its quantity (1u carbon heats up as fast as 100u water)
- Beware, that chemicals within the ChemMaster will act like any container and keep/exchange their temperature.
- Temperature-capacity is independent of the chemical and distributed evenly by mass:
- 1u Aluminium (300K) + 1u Aluminium (1500K) = 2u Aluminium (900K)
- 2u Aluminium (900K) + 1u Aluminium (300K) = 3u Aluminium (700K)
- 6u Aluminium(500K) + 3u Carbon (300K) = 6u Aluminium(433K) + 3u Carbon (433K)
- Chemicals don't adjust their temperature (aka 'cool') over time.
- Products of chemical reactions (including the bartender's drinks) keep their reagents temperature. Except the reaction is endothermic / exothermic
You can heat chemicals beyond 1000K by manually heating them with lighters / zippos / welding tools, though the heating process is not linear (each use adds 1K at least).
| Uses | Lighters / Zippos
|
Welding Tools
|
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 300 K | 300 K |
| 1 | 324 K | 370 K |
| 2 | 347 K | 438 K |
| 3 | 370 K | 505 K |
| 4 | 392 K | 570 K |
| 5 | 414 K | 634 K |
| 10 | 516 K | 936 K |
| 20 | 691 K | 1454 K |
| 30 | 834 K | 1879 K |
| 40 | 952 K | 2226 K |
| 50 | 1047 K | 2509 K |
Getting chemicals
Short Summary
- Liquids can be extracted with containers / droppers / syringes
- (Most) Grenades can be disassembled with a screwdriver and wrench
- Plants can be grinded
- Medical patches can be grinded
- Medical pills can be grinded or dissolved in a non-empty container (Yes, you can dissolve a 10u-charcoal-pill in a beaker with 0.1u charcoal because of science)
- Contents of droppers / bottles can be transferred
- Syringes can be injected
Liquid extraction
Use a container like a glass and fill it with the liquid you need. Simple as that. Some liquids require a dropper / syringe to extract however.
| Liquid-Source | Extraction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tanks | Container | Can be found in the toolstorage and all around maintenance. Useful for getting welding fuel or water. |
| Sinks | Container | Check the bathrooms for unlimited water. |
| Animals/Humans | Syringe | Draw blood with a syringe, though not everyone will be pleased if you fail to ask for consent. |
| Fryer | Syringe | You can remove the cooking oil from the fryer in the kitchen. The cook might CQC-kick you in the throat if he catches you meddling with his precious oil-reserves. |
| Cleaning back pack/Spraybottles | Dropper | With a dropper you can extract liquids like space-cleaner from any container, that would otherwise not be extractable, provided you manage to get your hands on one. |
| Spills | Container | Using any container you can scoop up liquid gibs (5u), glowing goo(Radium, 5u) Motor Oil (30u) and Ash (30u). Nobody will bother you doing your part in cleaning up the station, right? |
Grinding
Not only can you steal things, you can shove them into a grinder / mortar and pestle to retrieve chemicals from them! If you're stealing from Botany, check out the Guide to plants. Don't forget, that some foods contain chemicals as well, most notably warm donk-pockets containing Omnizine. Good luck with getting even close to Xenobiology to ask them for something.
| Item | Category | Reagents | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed Can | 10u Aluminium | Drink a soda and crush (click yourself with combat mode on) it on your head first | |
| Cigarettes | Smoking | 15u Nicotine | Buy Space Cigarettes / DromedaryCo Cigarettes from vending machine |
| Robust Gold Cigarette | Smoking | 15u Nicotine, 3u Gold | Buy from vending machine, expensive though |
| Premium Cigar | Smoking | 25 Nicotine | Buy from vending machine, not cost-efficient though |
| Pen | 2u Iron, 1u Iodine | Color does not matter | |
| Cigarette Butt | Smoking | 2u Carbon | Smoke a cigarette and put it out |
| Lighter | Smoking | 1u Iron, 5u Welding Fuel, 5u Oil | There is no difference between cheap lighters and zippos reagent-wise |
| Powercells | Technology | 15u Lithium, 5u Iron, 5u Silicon | Powercell-type does not matter |
| Metal Sheet | Material | 20u Iron | Easiest to aquire by disassembling a table |
| Safety Flare | Lighting | 15u Sulfur | Found in your shift-starter-box, often found as litter on the floor |
| Analyzer | Technology | 5u Mercury, 5u Iron, 5u Silicon | Grab one from the toolstorage |
| Wood | Material | 20 Carbon | Grow some towercap in the garden. Heat up the ground results (Cellulose) from wood planks to 512K. |
| Glass Sheet/Glassshard | Material/Trash | 20u Silicon, 10u Sodium | Just wait for someone to inevitably break some windows in the tool storage |
| Plasteel Sheet | Material | 20u Iron, 20u Plasma | Good luck breaking into the EVA storage |
| Cable Coil | Material | 2u Copper per piece (1 full coil = 60u Copper) | Check the tool storage |
| Glowstick | Lighting | 15u Phenol, 10u Hydrogen, 5u Oxygen | Found in maintenance, also known as 'Meth-in-a-stick' |
| Firebrand | Lighting | 2u Carbon | Craft a firebrand from wood |
| Light Tube | Lighting | 25u Silicon, 10u Nitrogen | Ask the janitor for a spare box or steal some while wearing gloves. |
| Light Bulb | Lighting | 5u Silicon, 10u Nitrogen | Ask the janitor for a spare box or steal some while wearing gloves. |
| Electronics | Technology | 10u Iron, 10u Silicon | Quite a waste of ressources to be honest |
| Crayon | 15u Colored Crayon Powder, 15u Nutriment | Boxes of Crayons can be found in the dorms. | |
| Meat(Sheep) | 3u Nutriment, 2u Cooking Oil | Well, ask the cook to butcher a sheep. | |
| Dead Mouse | Trash | 3u Nutriment, 2u Vitamin, 20u Blood, 5u Liquid gibs | You monster |
| Matches | Smoking | 2u Phosphorus | Smoking-supplies from vending machine |
| Silver Coin | Coins | 4u Silver | Check the dorms and try to get lucky |
| Gold Coin | Coins | 4u Gold | |
| Diamond Coin | Coins | 4u Carbon | |
| Iron Coin | Coins | 4u Iron | |
| Plasma Coin | Coins | 4u Plasma | |
| Uranium Coin | Coins | 4u Uranium | |
| Bananium Coin | Coins | 4u Bananium | |
| Photo Picture | 4u Iodine | Grabe a camera from the artist supply and make some | |
| Soap(Nanotransen) | 10u Plasma, 10u Lye | Break into the brig and steal their soap. What could possibly go wrong? | |
| Soap(Non-Nanotransen) | 10u Lye | ||
| Bluespace Crystal | Technology | 20u Bluespace | |
| Bluespace Crystal (Artificial) | Technology | 10u Bluespace, 20u Silicon | |
| Bluespace Polycrystal | Technology | 20u Bluespace | |
| Lump of Coal | 20 Carbon | ||
| Diamond | Material | 30u Carbon | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Uranium Sheet | Material | 20u Uranium | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Plasma Sheet | Material | 20u Plasma | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Gold Bar | Material | 20u Gold | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Silver Bar | Material | 20u Silver | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Bananium Sheet | Material | 20u Bananium | Good luck with your cargo-heist |
| Snow Block | 20u Ice | ||
| Plasma Glass Sheet | Material | 20 Silicon, 10 Plasma | |
| Reinforced Plasma Glass Sheet | Material | 20 Silicon, 10 Plasma, 10 Iron | |
| Dilithium Crystal | Technology | 20u Dilithium | |
| Wired Glass Floor Tile | Material | 20u Silicon, 5u Copper | |
| Bamboo Cuttings | Material | 5u Carbon | |
| Runed Metal | Material | 5u Iron, 15u Blood | If you have cultists to steal from, you might have other more serious problems |
| Brass Sheet | Material | 5u Iron, 15u Teslium | |
| Bronze Sheet | Material | 5u Iron, 3u Copper | |
| Bone | 10u Carbon | ||
| Suture | Medicine | 2u Spaceacillin | Check the medbay |
| Mesh | Medicine | 2u Spaceacillin | Check the medbay |
| Slime Zippo | Smoking? | 1u Iron, 5u Weldingfuel, 5u Pyroxadone | |
| Circuit Board | Technology | 20 Silicon, 10 Gold | |
| Toner Cartridge | 40u Iodine, 10u Iron | Toner cartridges can be found in airlock painters. | |
| Brute Patch | Medicine | 20u Styptic Powder | Check the medbay |
| Burn Patch | Medicine | 20u Silver Sulfadiazine | Check the medbay |
| Synthflesh Patch | Medicine | 20u Synthflesh | Check the medbay |
| Urinal Cake | 3u Chlorine, 1u Ammonia = 1 | Extract from urinals (screwdriver to remove the drain, empty hand to take the cake) | |
| Lip Stick | 5u Phenol | ||
| Hair Dye Spray | 10 Phenol, 5u Quantum Hair Dye | ||
| Geiger Counter | Technology | 5u Radium |
Ready to go
Some reagents are hidden in plain sight and just need to be used without further grinding. There is often treasure to be found in the chemistry-fridges, too.
| Item | Reagents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Shaker | 20u Sodium Chloride | Check the bar or ask the chef to get one from his vending machine. Pretty unsuspicious. A reagent analyzer says a salt shaker contains table salt, but this functions the same as sodium chloride. |
| Hot Sauce | 10u Capsaicin | Ask the chef to get one from his vending machine. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to spice up your food. |
| Sugar | 30u Sugar | Ask the chef, whether he wants to be your sugar-daddy (The bottle is in one of his fridges) |
| Ethanol | 30u Ethanol | Pay the bartender to buy some from his vending machine. You don't really have a legitimate reason, but he should not care how you prefer to get drunk. |
| Canned Air | 24u Nitrogen, 6u Oxygen | Premium item found in Robust Softdrinks vending machines |
| Water bottles | 49.5u Water, 0.5u Fluorine | Found in Robust Softdrinks vending machines |
Deconstructing Chemical Grenades
You can extract contents from grenades by deconstructing them, if you manage to get your hands on one in the first place. Reagents and quantities depend on what people put inside the grenade of course. There are some other types of grenades which can't be used though, most notably the flash- and the smoke-grenade.
| Type | Reagents |
|---|---|
| Acid grenade | 570u Fluorosulfuric Acid, 10u Potassium, 10u Phosphorus, 10u Sugar |
| Bio terror foam grenade | 75u Cryptobiolin, 50u Water, 50u Mute Toxin, 75u Spores, 50u Itching Powder, 150u Fluorosurfactant, 150u Unstable Mutagen |
| Cleaner grenade (version 1) | 40u Fluorosurfactant, 40u Water, 10u Space Cleaner |
| Cleaner grenade (version 2) | 40u Fluorosurfactant, 40u Water, 60u EZ-Clean |
| CLF3 grenade | 250u Fluorosurfactant, 100u Chlorine Trifluoride, 250u water |
| Colorful grenade | 25u Colorful Reagent, 25u Potassium, 25u Phosphorus, 25u Sugar |
| Fungal tuberculosis grenade | 50u Potassium, 50u Phosphorus, 200u Fungal Spores, 250u Blood, 50u Sugar |
| Generic glitter grenade | 25u Glitter, 25u Potassium, 25u Phosphorus, 25u Sugar |
| Holy hand grenade | 100u Potassium, 100u Holy Water |
| Incendiary grenade | 25u Phosphorus, 25u Stable Plasma, 25u Sulfuric Acid |
| Metal Foam Grenade | 30u Aluminium, 10u Foaming Agent, 10u Fluorosulfuric Acid |
| Rad Bomb | 70u Unstable Mutagen, 10u Sugar, 10u Potassium, 10u Phosphorus |
| Smart Metal Foam Grenade | 75u Aluminium, 25u Smart Foaming Agent, 25u Fluorosulfuric Acid |
| Teargas grenade | 60u Condensed Capsaicin, 40u Potassium, 40u Phosphorus, 40u Sugar |
| Weedkiller grenade | 25u Plant-B-Gone, 25u Potassium, 25u Phosphorus, 25u Sugar |
Sources listed by Chemical
Overview of sources ordered by chemicals, default extraction-method is grinding.
| Chemical | Sources |
|---|---|
| Aluminum | Soda cans (crush on your head first), tin cans, deconstruct smart metal foam grenades |
| Ammonia | Urinal Cake |
| Ash | Scoop up from floor(burn paper) |
| Bananium | Bananium Coin, Bananium Sheet |
| Blood | Dead mouse (rude!), use a syringe to extract from a monkey or human, Runed Metal |
| Bluespace | Bluespace Crystal, Bluespace Crystal(Artificial), Bluespace Polycrystal |
| Carbon | Cigarette butts, coal, wood, Bones, Lump of Coal, Diamond Coin, Diamond, Firebrand, Bamboo Cuttings |
| Chlorine | Urinal Cake |
| Copper | Cable coils, Bronze Sheet, Wired Glass Floor Tile |
| Cryoxadone | Steal one of the spare cryoxadone beakers from medical |
| Dilithium | Dilithium Crystal |
| Ethanol | Spraycans |
| Fluorine | A very small amount in water bottles |
| Fluorosulfuric acid | Deconstruct smart metal foam grenades |
| Fluorosurfacant | Deconstruct cleaner grenades |
| Gibs | Dead mouse, scoop up from the floor |
| Gold | Gold Coin, Gold Bar, Robust Gold Cigarette |
| Hydrogen | Glowsticks |
| Iodine | Toner cartridge, photographs, pens |
| Iron | Electronics, lighters, tin cans, toner cartridge, pens, plasteel, power cells, reinforced glass, Iron Coin, Brass Sheet, Bronze Sheet, Reinforced Plasma Glass Sheet, Runed Metal, Slime Zippo, Analyzer |
| Lithium | Power cells, potato batteries |
| Lye | Soap |
| Mercury | Analyzer |
| Nicotine | Cigarettes, cigars |
| Nitrogen | Lightbulbs/Lighttubes |
| Nutriment | Food, Dead mouse |
| Oil | Lighters, using a beaker on oil spills |
| Omnizine | Heated donk pockets |
| Oxygen | Glowsticks and canned air |
| Phenol | Glowstick |
| Phosphorus | Matches, deconstruct a teargas grenade |
| Plasma | Plasteel, Solid plasma, Plasma glass, Nanotransen-Soap, Plasma Coin, Reinforced Plasma Glass Sheet |
| Potassium | Deconstruct a tear gas grenade |
| Pyroxadone | Slime Zippo |
| Radium | Glowing goo spills |
| Silicon | Analyzer, circuit board, electronics, glass, Lightbulbs/Lighttubes, power cells, reinforced glass, Reinforced Plasma Glass Sheet, Wired Glass Floor Tile, Bluespace Crystal(Artificial) |
| Sodium Chloride | Salt shakers |
| Silver | Silver Coin, Silver Bar |
| Silver sulfadiazine | Burn Patch |
| Smart foaming agent | Deconstruct a smart metal foam grenade |
| Space cleaner | Deconstruct cleaner grenades, Backpack cleaner tank, Spraybottles |
| Styptic powder | Brute Patch |
| Sugar | Donuts, everything except ramen from Getmore Chocolate Corp vending machines, Dutch hot coco, deconstruct a tear gas grenade |
| Sulfur | Flare |
| Sulfuric Acid | Deconstruct a incendiary grenade |
| Synthflesh | Synthflesh Patch |
| Teslium | Brass Sheet |
| Uranium | Uranium Coin, Uranium Sheet |
| Water | Sinks, Water tanks |
| Welding Fuel | Lighters, Welding fuel tanks, Slime Zippo |