Plasma in the window

You know a lot of people play Sudoku and work crossword puzzles to exercise their mind. Any chemists out there ever try to draw out syntheses for natural products or any other molecules to gain extra brain power? Here's a shot of the plasma from the lab.

The color of the plamsa is actually white, but the window is tinted green with something that prevents the UV light from harming our eyes. The ultraviolet light is emitted from the metals in the water samples after they gain energy from the plasma. There is actually no reason for the window at all, it just looks cool.

Alpha hydroxy garbage

This is kinda funny. After studying organic chemistry, whenever those commercials came on TV about "alpha hydroxys" in skin creams and stuff I would laugh and say that doesn't mean anything. I tried to explain to my girlfriend that the term alpha hydroxy just describes a location on a molecule, like the next carbon over from something has an alcohol bonded to it. In other words, the alcohol (hydroxy) is alpha (next to) something, but you can't really tell what that something is when you say alpha hydroxy.


Glycolic acid

Some of the commercials say "alpha hydroxy acids". This makes much more sense, turnes out, there is a group of molecules called alpha hydroxy acids. And they do have an effect on skin.

Another thing that tickles my fancy is seeing all those little multi-colored beads mixed in and suspended in the face wash or shampoo. That is actually some hot research because just the way it looks sitting on the grocery store shelf makes people buy it. So there were actually scientist out there trying to find out how to suspend little colored balls in a hair gel, making and spending loads of money. It's just the way it goes. Kinda seems like a waste of scientific talent to me, maybe the project only took a couple years.

Next up, beta hydroxy acids.

Everybody should read this

I read a story on Wired news about garage chemistry. I wish they still sold chemistry sets that I thought would be fun to use. Like all the chemicals and equipment necessary to isolate and characterize natural products. I think I would specialize in marine natural products, they don't seem to be a passing fad.

Organic chemistry_, Cutting edge literature_

In my backyard

I grow the herb Wormwood in my backyard just because it synthesizes the psychedelic compound Thujone.

These goodies are used to make absinthe.

Ophiobolin C

I worked on the synthesis of this molecule while in school at FSU as an undergraduate. It was one of my better academic experiences in Tallahassee. I had my own lab bench, my own glassware, and my own chemicals. I guess it was a taste of graduate school without the 80 hours a week. I met a lot of great people in there; post docs and graduate students who have all dispersed across the world from England to China. When I retire, I'm going to build a
laboratory and make natural products.

Outsourcing

It is here. We are losing oppurtunities everyday. I'll make a future prediction: India and China will produce most of the new drugs simply because they have a lot more people actually doing research. They have four times as many people as we do, producing more scientist and engineers than we do. That's if their governments don't tear the country down.

It's fairly obvious to me why Americans don't want to go into science. It does not pay well. I read somewhere, adjusted for IQ, scientists are the lowest paid workers in the country. Especially for PhD's, they go to school for 4 to 6 years, then struggle to get a job. Even better of a question, why are we telling American college students to go into science when there are no jobs to get when you get out? Getting an academic research professor job for a chemist is like getting to the Major League in baseball. Only the elite can make it, it takes natural talent. So please, current professors out there, tell your students the truth: If they don't have a 4.0 and work for a "famous" scientist, they won't get their dream job doing whatever research interests them. If you're smart and you have the ability to go past a bachelors degree, the law or medical degree will earn you money after you have no problem finding a job. I wonder what the unemployment rate would look like between chemistry PhD's, lawyers, and doctors. I guess it would look better if you only looked at people working in the field of their degree.

By the way, I'm a happy scientist.

Phosphorus and methamphetamine

A great idea, all this time, and no comments. Well, fellow mass spectrometrists of the world, I've got some new things to talk (write, type, blog) about.

Short side note, anyone ever hear a hissing noise comming from the torch box. It's not an electrical arc or I just can't see one. I have produced an electrical arc on the torch itself before and gave it a nice melted dimple. This noise seems to be something else, almost sounds like gas or water blowing out a small hose, but I think if that was the case, things wouldn't be working as well as they have been. No visible damage or drift caused by noise.

Next up, I just got word that I will be analyzing some samples from a meth lab bust. I'll be looking for phosphorus. I imagine I'll find some since the samples are taken from powder made by grinding up match heads. So, I don't think I'll have any actual meth in the lab, sorry. I know detection limits are crappy, like 1ppm, anyone know about any interferences or any other problems analyzing phosphorus.

Methamphetamine has quite a history. It's a farely new drug, first synthesized in 1919 in Japan. It was distributed during WWII to Nazi soldiers as a stimulant. In the 50's it saw such uses as a cure for narcolepsy, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, alcoholism, depression, and obesity. What a wonder drug back then. Made illegal sometime in the 80's when its recreational use started up.
Easily made by even non-chemists from pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, various different procedures found in chemistry journals or sketchy websites. There is a wealth of information found on Wikipedia (who checks the facts on this website?)