Page 9 - Periodic Issue 01

A Day in the Li fe

OF AN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY $0HIL STUDENT

BY #ATHERINE "ALL

The high-impact publications brimming with results tables and And so to the crux of the day: lab work. This inevitably
multi-step product syntheses, the impressive presentations, involves columning - purification by silica column
crammed with research findings and new ideas; we’ve chromatography - simultaneously the saviour and the
all seen them - perhaps taken part in their construction, nemesis of the Organic Chemist. A small-scale reaction
maybe even written them. But what goes on behind these with a product showing good separation by TLC (thin layer
outputs? What happens behind the sliding glass doors of the chromatography) makes for a quick, easy column and a
Chemistry Research Laboratory (CRL)? feeling of satisfaction. However, a larger-scale reaction with
multiple products and a lot of ‘mess’ (that’s the technical
Invariably the answer is hours and hours of lab work. term) makes for a multitude of column fractions, a lot of TLC
Welcome to the life of an Organic Chemistry DPhil student.
spotting and an afternoon of misery.
From the Inorganic (pyromaniac) groups on the second Besides the columning and the weighing and measuring that
floor to the Organic synthesis on the first and ground floors setting up multiple reactions involves, there are various other
verging onto Chemical Biology on the lower ground floor tasks to attend to. Gathering compound data is vital, yet can
and the Physical Chemistry (shudder) and NMR groups sometimes be a frustrating and fruitless quest. For example,
in the basement, the CRL is awash with DPhil students, there are NMRs to be run (fingers crossed the queue is short)
undergraduate Part II students, PostDocs and academics. and assigned, mass spectrometry samples to be submitted
Though for most of us students, our aims and struggles are and IRs and melting points to be acquired. Though the latter
the same - reaching for that sought-after publication and are generally left till absolutely necessary. A looming report
trying to avoid and/or battling with the constant question: why deadline or imminent paper submission are usually the driving
doesn’t my Chemistry work?!
force behind obtaining these.
Let’s start from the There are also day-to-day lab tasks and responsibilities
beginning. The morning to contend with. Fending off questions from Part IIs, the
begins fresh with the inevitable power struggle for control of the lab radio or music
hope that today is the player and trips to stores to replenish solvents and other
day when things will work lab items are all integral parts of the daily routine. These are
and that breakthrough punctuated by semi-mandatory cups of tea, often in the CRL
result will finally come. atrium. They sell pretty good cakes for afternoon tea too (not
(The duration of this to mention the daily muffins in the morning).
period of time varies - on
a bad day it’s about 10 Ranking highly on everyone’s list of least favourite lab jobs
minutes long). Reactions is solvent waste. The realisation that the waste solvent
are set up, worked up, containers are full and that it’s your turn to remove it prompts
purified. Set up, worked a sinking feeling. Pouring ten + litres of chlorinated solvent
up, purified. It’s the core into large disposal drums isn’t anyone’s idea of fun - least
routine of the Organic of all when you spill it on your feet. Another contender for
Chemist’s day. Alongside most unpopular lab job is undoubtedly the distillation of
this are the literature the communal lab reagents, particularly the foul-smelling
research, planning and day-to-day tasks that working compounds such as triethylamine and pyridine. No one
towards a DPhil involves. wants to smell those all day, let alone smell them on your
clothes and hair when you’re in the pub later on.
Literature research (a perusal of the BBC news website
and Facebook are naturally part of this) can provide the But, however frustrating or unappealing this picture
inspiration for a new idea or project direction; or alternatively may seem, we know it’s worth it for that day when the
can consolidate our suspicions that a reaction we want to breakthrough result does come. The day when we see our
do is never likely to work. It can provide us with false hope name on the author list of a paper. The day when we will hold
– everything you read in the literature is always repeatable, our thesis in our hands. The day when we will finally be able
right?! Planning our research is vital, though it’s crucial to to call ourselves Doctor.
remember that whatever length of time you estimate things
will take will probably be wrong. Double your prediction is Until then, there’s always the pub after labs.
likely to be a much more accurate figure.

9
Periodic
The Magazine of the Department of Chemistry