Madison And Beyond

So I'm two weeks in. Last week my professor suggest I make a list of things I've learned as the summer goes. So here is a list from two weeks of being in lab. How To Rotovap How to take an NMR How to prepare an NMR sample How to read an NMR and track a reactions progress How to manipulate an NMR spectrum for reading How to vacuum filter into a  round bottom   flask How to use a vacuum line How to get liquid nitrogen How to transfer liquid under an inert gas How to use the Microwave (I know you would have thought I already knew this...) How to set up a  separat ory funnel How to do a TLC How to use TLC to track a reactions progress How to use Chem Draw How to keep a lab notebook How to use an addition funnel/ what is an addition funnel

Here you can see toluene move as it heats up. Newest reaction This is the new reaction stirring.

So, after the excitement earlier this week of finally isolating our product I got put on a different, new for me, project. It is a project that my professor started a number of years ago and that I get to finish, well run everything again to get publishable data. It's not quite as exciting as it is not pretty colors, at least yet, and I have to work with some stinky stuff, ethanethiol if you're curious. To give you an idea thiols are what make onions, garlic, and skunks their bad smells. This means double gloves, no gloves out of the hood...etc. Fun stuff right!? So we'll see how this goes. Well I hope well as it has been done before. My new reaction White, right!? My desk

An NMR tube with a sample and ready to run! The color of an unknown product we synthesized....pretty, but it's not yellow! Golden Yellow...Score! (We isolated this and it was the product we wanted) Just buildings at night (This is across from the chemistry building) My lab partner, Xiaoyin, and me at Concerts on the Square My professor, Dr. Nutbrown, and me at Concerts on the Square Interesting stuff from frit, for filtration, cleaning Again It's yellow!!!!

Guys. We did it. After a week and a half. We isolated the product we wanted. With no side products and very minimal starting material. It's SO exciting. Now to hope we can replicate the process without any trouble. We find out sooner rather than later. So this week after perfecting the art of higher yield for the first step we tried multiple ways of isolating that to see if we could get what we wanted and we found a good method that does not take too long. It's such a blessing. In other news I finally got to attend the college group that my church has. It was good to just chat with people and get out. They just had a cookout. I met a girl that is two weeks older than me and has hiked Mount Elbert in CO, which I have hiked. That was lots of fun. And she spends her week in lab too, but a bio lab. Photos are coming! I promise! :)

Here are photos of what we have been making. We're not quite there yet, but we're getting there. :)

Ummmm yeah. That's what I spent a good amount of time yesterday doing. TLC. (Thin Layer Chromatography) That's what it is called. It is also used in biology, just to note. We could not get a high yield at all. So we decided to use TLC to track the reaction to see if the reactant spots would disappear. Yesterday we got nothing. Today on the other hand we finally got what looks like a high yield, but with possible side products. So tomorrow we will see what it all looks like and see if we have found a method to get a high yield. Maybe we can move on soon! Cross my fingers that we can! P.s. Our products are so pretty! I'll post photos of those later. A TLC plate under black light to track the reaction Measuring to find the rf value Another plate example with the spots circled.  All but one of my plates used to track the reactions. Stayed late...till much after dark!

Well so far so fail! Ha! Welcome to science some may say, but I've known this for about the past year and a half. So it's nothing new. It's just a little frustrating now that it comes before what my specific part is. But my professor has been good at including me. So as I sit here, I write that the reaction failed. Twice. Using two differing methods. And ended up the same color. Following their methods exactly. The product should have been yellow, but alas it is purple. Oh well. So we shall try again and see if we can think of something to fix it and obtain the desired color of product. Life here is pretty great minus the time the sun comes up and they start construction below me. I feel as if my body is falling apart, hopefully just from all the extra walking. Oh and I get weird looks because I have to walk to work i jeans when it is like 84 degrees out. To all you folks back home, I'll come home with a chemist'a tan, not a farmer's tan! Don't call it a fa...

I'm here and kind of had my first day. Getting internet at where I live was kinda hard, but I finally have it. Today I got to meet some people and spend time in the office and labs. I also got to unpack the stuff we had gotten in the mail. It's pretty great here and I'm enjoying myself so far, though not much has been done. On Thursday we present to our peers about our research and actually get started. I'll post after that.

Hello again! We made it! These past couple of days I feel as if I have bipolar disorder, which is ironic considering that is what I'm doing research on, I feel so giddy at times yet I feel down at others. The good thing is that excitement is the more prominent feeling. Tomorrow will be church and then just taking it easy. Maybe a little exploring of the town. On Monday I move and explore more and then start on Tuesday.  I'm looking forward to seeing campus for the first time and especially the labs. (Thanks to you dear one to me) I just want it to be morning already so I can start. I'm so anxious to get this adventure going. And thinking about it I know how fast it will be and thinking how soon I'll be back to you all. I'll keep you updated hopefully by Monday. Love to all!  P.S. I'm hungry tonight, Jenni!, and this is a beautiful state if you've never been. 

Let's start with this. I hate hotels. 10 nights in a little over two weeks...let's just say I don't sleep well. But secondly one week! That's it. I go in less than that, but one week till I move in and have a bed to call my own for a while. I'm so ready. So ready to be done traveling. So ready to settle down. And so ready to just start. I'm not all sure what I'm about to get myself into, and it'll be hard, but I'm ready. As I lay here it can't come soon enough! One more week...I can do it. I can make it. I can live through the craziness of the next week and I'm ready to do so. Summer...ready or not here I come!