A day in the lab
Even working at the cutting edge can sometimes feel like a drag
It’s one of those days. Work in the lab just isn’t going smoothly – in fact, it doesn’t feel like it’s going at all. Sometimes, it even feels as if the laws of science aren’t acting on your molecules any more, or that the forces of the universe are conspiring against you. A simple ester formation that should obviously work gives you immense trouble, or a reaction you’ve done before suddenly and mysteriously seems to stop working.
On another day, these small snags wouldn’t hold you back at all: rather, you’d welcome them. That ester formation shows you that one part of the molecule is more acid-sensitive than expected, and in fact now you can use a milder, cleaner method than your go-to SOCl2. And your strangely sensitive reaction allows you to showcase your reaction pathologist skills to your new manager.
But today is one of those days. You know that blaming the universe is irrational, but you feel impotent and helpless.