Chemistry oh how I missed you

This is part of a chemistry set given to me when I was 10, in 1977. I lived on a commune and one of the residents (a physicist called Alison) made a wooden box which fit all these bottles in neat little rows, on a tray, and underneath was a bunsen burner, a ceramic bowl, various bendy glass tubes, test tubes and beakers. In the side was (and is still) an asbestos mat, and a test tube rack. It was an immensely thoughtful present and as a result I've dragged it round the many places I've lived since then. A notebook inside written in my hand in July '77 tells me in capital letters

DO NOT DRINK ACID. DON'T DRINK SOLUTIONS. DON'T DRINK ANYTHING. IF YOU DO TELL SOMEONE WHAT IT WAS. OK.

Many of the bottles have now exploded their contents, corroded their lids or now contain rock solid substances. It's still a thing of beauty though.

Sadly, I never really grasped chemistry, and changed schools too often to get a hold of it there, if it was even taught. Now, in adulthood, I wish I knew more about this all-important subject; the desire is there but the will to study it cold, now, isn't quite. I don't wish I was back at school, but I wish I'd learnt more.