So, something happened today which should increase my output here (as it's far too low).
I know have a proper browser on this computer. Well, I say proper, it's IE8, so it's a marked improvement from IE6 (and it works). This means that I can now blog properly from work and not have to rely on my phone.
Expect more from me, but not today. It's Friday and I don't start anything new on a Friday.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The vagaries of unpredictable machines
So, it turns out that Mike the mass spec man was off for longer than I realise, so, with my potentially superb results still awaiting, I recruited fellow researcher Mandy to run them.
The tension was palpable, in just 30 mins I'd know if my adapted technique works and I get a bucket of kudos (and some personal satisfaction).
The OES is broked. Arrgghh.
These things happen, but at least now I know how to use the damn thing and what's likely to go wrong with it. Shame the thing that's wrong with it today isn't one of them.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Calcium is a go!
So, I've been working, on and off, on trying to get calcium separated from strontium for a few weeks. As mentioned previously, the article from which I've been getting my method from was, aside from giving me a general outline and a feeler for the reagents required, next to useless. So I've had to do things the old fashioned way: trial and error.
It was great! I felt like a proper pioneer of science; throwing chemicals into a test tube (well, a centrifuge tube) and seeing what happens. Turns out; I was using far, far, far too much hydroxide to get my metal ions to precipitate, with the conclusion some cations who quite like to abandon solution with their new OH partner then dissolve right back up again (I'm looking at YOU cobalt!) when there's enough hydroxide available.
Used less this time, but Mike the mass-spec man isn't in until Wednesday so I'm going to have to wait to see if calcium made it through the process, leaving his chums behind.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Who'd have thunk it?
So, turns out I was right; my notorious apathy took over and left this folorn blog postless. Add this to the fact my work PC doesn't do google very well (meaning I can't blog from work) and you get a few weeks without anything. I've got it on my phone now, so things should (ha!) improve....
Anyway, things are afoot in the calcium separation. All will be explained.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I used to like the word 'legacy'
So, yes, I used to like that word. It created images of things worth holding onto, of past success influencing future endevour and the retention of that which was worth retaining.
After working through some of our elder computer systems and the myriad forms that they take... well, suffice to say I'm not such a big fan of the word and what it represents.
After working through some of our elder computer systems and the myriad forms that they take... well, suffice to say I'm not such a big fan of the word and what it represents.
Monday, February 6, 2012
The weekend
So, it turns out the weekend isn't so good for motivation when it comes to writing blog posts, who'd've thunk it?!
As it stands, the most likely research I'll be blogging about first is the separation of calcium from its alkaline earth family. It seems like there's some potential commercial application but, from what I've been told and read, calcium and strontium are really, really similar. In fact, almost identical, especially when it comes to wanting to stay in solution. Ho hum.
So, first off, where do you go? Well, if you've access to it, then Web of Knowledge is a good place to start. A quick search of terms and so on will usually get you a long list of articles that have some connections to what you want. However, calcium separation isn't one of those with a lot written on it. Bummer.
I did find one piece though with a lot of promise; wrote a paper in in which he described the kind of separation I plan on doing. w00t! Success!
However, it's crap.
I don't know whether the author was bound by some propriertory(?) confidentiality, or if the company he did the work for didn't let him give all the tricks away, or the author was just a very bad writer of scientific papers, but the outcome is that it's almost impossible to follow. So bad, that if it were a recipe to bake a cake it would go something like this:
Get flour, eggs and sugar.
Mix
Bake
Eat.
No measurement, no timings, nothing useful at all aside from a tantalising glimpse of a good analytical method. Oh, there's results showing you just how good it is, how it separates the Ca from the Sr just right... but it's going to take a lot more work to figure this one out.
As it stands, the most likely research I'll be blogging about first is the separation of calcium from its alkaline earth family. It seems like there's some potential commercial application but, from what I've been told and read, calcium and strontium are really, really similar. In fact, almost identical, especially when it comes to wanting to stay in solution. Ho hum.
So, first off, where do you go? Well, if you've access to it, then Web of Knowledge is a good place to start. A quick search of terms and so on will usually get you a long list of articles that have some connections to what you want. However, calcium separation isn't one of those with a lot written on it. Bummer.
I did find one piece though with a lot of promise; wrote a paper in in which he described the kind of separation I plan on doing. w00t! Success!
However, it's crap.
I don't know whether the author was bound by some propriertory(?) confidentiality, or if the company he did the work for didn't let him give all the tricks away, or the author was just a very bad writer of scientific papers, but the outcome is that it's almost impossible to follow. So bad, that if it were a recipe to bake a cake it would go something like this:
Get flour, eggs and sugar.
Mix
Bake
Eat.
No measurement, no timings, nothing useful at all aside from a tantalising glimpse of a good analytical method. Oh, there's results showing you just how good it is, how it separates the Ca from the Sr just right... but it's going to take a lot more work to figure this one out.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
White rabbits!
I managed to remember to say that this morning before anything else. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a believer in stupid superstitions, but it's a good mental excersize. The theory being if I can remember to say "white rabbits" on the first of every month, then I might just start remembering useful stuff.
Anyway, a quiet day on the lab front - been dealing with issues concerning our lab software so not had the chance to get out the office.
Oh, and happy Imbolc to you all. I understand it's halfway between solstice and equinox, so spring is on the way.
Anyway, a quiet day on the lab front - been dealing with issues concerning our lab software so not had the chance to get out the office.
Oh, and happy Imbolc to you all. I understand it's halfway between solstice and equinox, so spring is on the way.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
So this is it
It's the last day of January, 2012, and I figured I'd start to blog about a few things. Mainly because I like to rant (my wife, brother, parents, co-workers, etc can all back me up on that!) but also because I'd like to get stuff down in case I forget it later. I contribute to a few forums, mainly science and rational thinking based, and sometimes think of something that I'd like to mention, but doesn't fit into the post being made. Throwing it here would mean I still get to be an egotist and think people want to read it but I don't go disturbing a whole thread because of it.
Anyway, I'm an analytical chemist by profession and I'm heading towards the last year of a 4-year long part-time degree course in chemistry. Given that I'll be entering into my final year project and writing about research is an important thing these days, I'll be talking about that. In addition, a recent assignment written by myself on actinide/lanthanide separation has brought up the prospects of doing some collaborative work between my employers and the university I'm studying at, so that'll be mentioned too. Finally, on the research front, the department I currently work in is supposed to be developing new methods. Whilst I'm not currently involved majorly in any of that, I will be over the coming months and years.
None of the stuff is really cutting edge research (hence the blog title!) but it might be interesting to people who aren't qualified research scientists and would like to read a little about the processes involved, the aggro and the elation, but this is mainly to feed my own ego and it beats having a diary.
Finally, just to satisfy my ranting side, I'll also cover a few aspects of the culture war between rationality and the ignorant, science in popular culture and/or the media and anything else that takes my fancy (I have very wide-spread interests).
So bear with me and we'll see how it goes. I might get bored of the whole thing and give up, it might be another victim of my notorious apathy and lack of motivation, but who knows? It might actually inspire someone to do science and that can only be a good thing.
Anyway, I'm an analytical chemist by profession and I'm heading towards the last year of a 4-year long part-time degree course in chemistry. Given that I'll be entering into my final year project and writing about research is an important thing these days, I'll be talking about that. In addition, a recent assignment written by myself on actinide/lanthanide separation has brought up the prospects of doing some collaborative work between my employers and the university I'm studying at, so that'll be mentioned too. Finally, on the research front, the department I currently work in is supposed to be developing new methods. Whilst I'm not currently involved majorly in any of that, I will be over the coming months and years.
None of the stuff is really cutting edge research (hence the blog title!) but it might be interesting to people who aren't qualified research scientists and would like to read a little about the processes involved, the aggro and the elation, but this is mainly to feed my own ego and it beats having a diary.
Finally, just to satisfy my ranting side, I'll also cover a few aspects of the culture war between rationality and the ignorant, science in popular culture and/or the media and anything else that takes my fancy (I have very wide-spread interests).
So bear with me and we'll see how it goes. I might get bored of the whole thing and give up, it might be another victim of my notorious apathy and lack of motivation, but who knows? It might actually inspire someone to do science and that can only be a good thing.
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