Lots of gallows humor when speakers thank the U.S. federal funding agencies. Gotta laugh, lest we cry. Saw one speaker today who noted that his grant to work on antivirals, the very work he just presented, was canceled yesterday. #chemsky #ACSSpring2025
Lots of great talks today! For me, the Evans Award Symposium was a real standout. Sarpong always gives a phenomenal talk and the work Roberts is doing is very exciting to me. #chemsky #ACSSpring2025
How does everyone attending feel about the “pods” for the technical sessions? I definitely prefer a real room; these get a little too much noise from nearby pods and passersby. Interesting concept though! #chemsky #ACSSpring2025
#ACSSpring2025 is in full swing! Nothing like an ACS Conference to refresh your enthusiasm for chemistry! #chemsky
Just completed my registration for the spring ACS meeting! Looking forward to all the great talks! #chemsky
Yup! Honestly, it’s just what we had laying around the lab at the time. Probably not the optimal choice.
Small glass pressure vessel about 1/4 filled with solution clamped over a stir plate with a spotlight pointed at it.
I thought I'd spotlight (har har) this reaction today! It was a photo-initiated radical reaction and this beat-up old work light did the trick. #chemsky
T-shirt that reads “Oh Chemistree!” With the image of a tree comprised of the periodic table.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! This is my shirt for the day (don’t worry, this isn’t becoming a fashion account!) #chemsky
Round bottom flask half filled with green suspension over stir plate in a fume hood
100 followers! I don't do much social media, but that seems like a lot to me; thanks all! To mark the occasion, I figured I'd cover my profile photo. It's a large scale allene synthesis relevant to a total synthesis! The color comes from the use of an organocuprate! #chemsky
Several wine bottles on a store shelf. Center bottle has a yellow label that reads "Sb" in large print and "Sauvignon Blanc" in much smaller print beneath.
Saw this at the grocery store...my initial reaction was definitely not "Sauvignon Blanc" #chemsky
Several Nicotiana benthamiana with light yellow leaves due to the silencing of ChlH
I did a series of VIGS (virus-induced genes silencing) experiments a while back that used the silencing of ChlH, a key enzyme in chlorophyl synthesis, as a control in Nicotiana benthamiana. So, here's what tobacco looks like without much chlorophyll! #chemsky #plantscience
A cardboard box containing many small vials of bright pink mCherry fusion protein
A line of 1 L centrifuge vessels in a cold room, each containing E. coli pellets of varying shades of pink.
I think mCherry might be my favorite fluorescent protein for fusions based solely on how pretty they look when aliquoted. #chemsky
Glass pressure vessel with partial Pt plating on the inside.
Tried a Shilov catalytic system and it did not go as planned. Enjoy my Pt-plated pressure vessel! #chemsky
One day I’ll remember to tag the original post! #chemsky
Structure of logeracemin A as shown in a 2014 JACS paper
I was recently reminded of logeracemin A, an incredible Daphniphyllum alkaloid whose structure was disclosed in a JACS paper while I was in grad school (JACS 2014, 136, 21, 7631). Sometimes I really wish industry let you have side projects....
Red solution in a Schlenk flask being cooled by an ice bath
Had a nicely colored (if unreasonably finicky) ylide during a Wittig a while back!
Chromatography of a crude reaction mixture on silica resulting in aesthetic multicolored banding throughout the silica
One of my prettier columns if I do say so myself! #chemsky
It's not hoarding if you might need it one day...right? 😆
That’s a tough job! For what it’s worth, I’ve had to do similar work in a few academic labs and found ChemInventory to be a useful, lightweight, and cheap option for inventory management. Plus, if you set it up, then hate it, you can save the info as a .csv and move it to some other solution.
I like it! Maybe once the biotech investor situation stabilizes a bit (har har, a guy can dream, right?).
Definitely a lot to manage! Though if I get a research group out of the deal, sign me up!
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Boxes full of small vials containing reaction products in a chemistry lab
In grad school, I saved any reaction product that wasn’t what I wanted, but wasn’t complete decomposition either. You know, just in case. This was the result of clearing out those vials post-defense. #chemsky
Protein crystals suspended in a liquid droplet under magnification
Once upon a time I did a bit of protein crystallography. These were my initial hits after screening a few thousand conditions. Hats off to those who do this full time; it’s a brutal process. #chemsky
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Agilent mass spectrometer
It was definitely a single quad! Here's a photo of the whole unit all put together. Can't recall the model number at this point. It was an old instrument when I arrived as a first year, and that's been quite a while ago now, so it's possible it's that old. Couldn't say for sure.
Mass spectrometry component
Mass spectrometry component
Mass spectrometry component
I once had to tear down an Agilent mass spec in grad school; here’s what it looked like inside! #chemsky
#chemsky …forgot to tag!
Ice crystals on the tip of an organic solvent squirt bottle.
Organic solvent evaporating from a squirt bottle chilled the tip enough to form these ice crystals!