Sam Levine4d ago

Just found out I wasted 3 weeks of work, a significant amount of solvent and other reagents because the commercial starting material is not what the bottle says it is to add insult to injury what is in the bottle isn't even clean, there is at least one other thing in there.

Hilariously (not really) the only reason I determined this was because I'm making something from the literature and none of my spectra were matching close enough. Went back to the start to check and remade the first step, it produced the same wrong thing. Tried some other conditions, same deal. Finally took an NMR of the starting material today.

#ChemiVerse #Chemistry

Show threadSam Levine4d ago

Someone kill me now. I just had to fess up to my supervisor that I didn't check the starting material at the start.

(it's not normally necessary, this wasn't a custom order or a particularly weird compound, it's a pretty standard small molecule building block)

Show threadSam Levine
Though I do get to write a very cranky email to the vendor. Always a personal favorite.
Jun 11 at 1:18amWeb
Show threadSam Levine4d ago
Supervisor has declared that next time someone wants us to just order them commercial compounds and hand them over for bio assays without any QC we should use this as an example of why we do not do that.
Show threadSam Levine3d ago
Why can't I bring myself to trash all of this material (which is taking up the largest proportion of my hood and is a giant mess) without confirmation from the company that the compound is wrong?!?! Am I really that insecure in my ID?!?!
Show threadMx. Chara Aznable (they/them) of Pnictogen3d ago
@SRLevine is there a more trustworthy supply of the same substance on hand? you could always try the trick of seeing if your unknown depresses the melting point of the known substance
Show threadSam Levine3d ago

@mxchara Boo. Hiss. (I don't have a melting point apparatus)

Going to need to order from someone else anyway, I could always take an NMR of a mixed sample, but that doesn't solve the "hood is a disaster and I need to clean up to be able to work in it" problem today. sigh

Show threadMx. Chara Aznable (they/them) of Pnictogen3d ago
@SRLevine ugh what a bummer. as with cooking and baking, cleaning up is the least fun bit of the job
Show threadKate Nyhan4d ago
@SRLevine
Your horrible experience will be someone else's valuable warning 😁
Show threadJoe Vilas4d ago
@SRLevine Ugh. Sorry.
Show thread🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Brie 🌞🚴📦✨4d ago
@SRLevine chemistry that leads to cranky emails and not burnt lungs is good chemistry ✨
Show threadStanley Black-Decker4d ago
@SRLevine Chemists sent you chemistry. I feel like you made a reasonable assumption even if it was ultimately wrong
Show threadÁngela Stella Matutina4d ago

@SRLevine

Underappreciated art.

Show threadHolly4d ago
@SRLevine I once got to chew out a vendor (and rightly so) in front of my boss. My grandboss even heard the story. It got me a special mention and an extra bonus on my annual review. 😁