Archive for the 'Goods & Services' Category

In setting up the background for this post, I’m going to have to come clean about my penchant for haberdashery. Although I only wear a suit roughly three times year, I own over thirty neckties, five pocket squares (only plebeians call them handkerchiefs), and even a bow tie. I felt compelled to buy one to make my wardrobe complete—there are few fashion statements more clear than wearing a bow tie.  You’re basically saying either:

1) I am better than you and want you to know it, or
2) I am a big dork

Anyway, to match my preferred color of dress shirt, French blue, I bought a solid green bow tie from Beau Ties, Ltd. To my delight, the company has been sending me junk mail ever since.  I was recently flipping through their Spring catalog and came across the new Solids Collection:

Magnificent, aren’t they?  The online version is here. I’ve never seen chemistry used so heavily in a marketing campaign. Carbon Black? Gold Oxide?! CADMIUM yellow?!  I had no idea cadmium was yellow. (It turns out that it isn’t—the soft metal is actually silvery gray—cadmium yellow refers to its sulfur salt.)  There are even ties in the series named after organic dye molecules:

Alizarin Crimson:

and Carmine (which derives its color from carminic acid):

Pretty spiffy.  I’d say that chemistry has finally become cool, but this is an ad for bow ties, so I’ll shut up now.

The first shipment of collectible ChemBark magnets has arrived! They feature the classic headshot of Ed with his new-and-improved red tongue. The current plan is to come up with new sets as supplies dwindle. Future magnets may feature Top Hat Ed, Sporty Ed, and IntoxicatEd. Collect all n, where 0 < n < 10.

If you are interested in getting one of these puppies, send a self-addessed stamped envelope to:

Paul Bracher
12 Oxford Street, Box #225
Cambridge, MA 02138

Don't worry, your secret is safe with me; I won't tell anyone that you read chemistry blogs.

If anyone actually mails me, I'll throw a couple in the envelope. And they're absolutely free; do not send money. If you happen to already be in the building, I've put a mess of them on the red fire blanket case outside of 251. Feel free to stop by and take one. Profess your chemical nerddom by displaying it with pride.

Lastly, please please please don’t do inappropriate or destructive things with these magnets. For instance, don’t stick it to your department’s NMR spectrometer or use it to kill cuddly animals. Keep it somewhere in your personal space (desk, hood, lab); there’s no need to get up in anyone’s grill with it.

I realize that posting a picture of an old bottle is not the most original idea for a blog post, but I can’t resist. I recently came across the following reagent in our bioroom:

That’s a whole kilogram of white, powdery RNA. Countless yeast cells gave their lives so that their nucelic acids could hydrolyze in our stockroom. The bottle is quite possibly a relic of my boss’s tenure at MIT (pre-1982). This particular RNA has an associated CAS number (63231-63-0), and the MSDS says it has a shelf life of three years. Oh well. I used it anyway, because I’m cheap and impatient.

I’m interested in finding a commercially-available polymer that contains phosphate. Is there anything besides RNA, DNA, and polyphosphates that I don’t know about? Any help is appreciated.

The History Channel produced a Modern Marvels episode on Christmas technology which included an interesting snippet on bubble lights (history, video).

Basically, these tree ornaments consist of a sealed tube of dyed solvent placed over a small, incandescent lamp. The lamp not only illuminates the solvent, but heats it and causes it to boil. A plug of glass wool at the bottom of the tube ensures even boiling. According to the History Channel and the link above, the solvent of choice is methylene chloride (yay!). I guess that for some people, rigging a flammable plant with lights and electrical cords isn’t a hazardous enough way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.