It seems strange that I ever made it out the other side with a PhD, especially being a self-critical doubter by nature. But hard work and method won out.
Being in the Chemistry Department was never without its drama. And there was never smoke without fire - quite literally. One day there were visitors and a senior member of staff was showing them his research lab. The lab had two doors, one at either end. The students in there managed to set light to something at both ends, temporarily trapping the visitors inside (ooops). I spotted a fire in the photochemistry lab once (some elecrical fault had ignited methanol, I believe). I also incinerated the floor next to my bench with sodium hydride - it burnt a hole in the fire blanket and the fire brigade dumped the lot on the lawn in the quadrangle outside. Nothing grew there for years, apparently. But by far the worst episode, which was in no way amusing (in fact it was deadly serious) was the fire in the lab next door where work was lost and people injured (Des McNamara and Harjit Gill). Indeed the professor's diminutive wife put Des out in the sink. The building and equipment suffered a lot of smoke damage, too.
Someone else mangaed to set light to a carcinogenic substance (HMPA, hexamethylphosphoramide)in the fume cupboard, and was later seen actually in the fume cupboard cleaning up all the crap. One wit (Judith Buck) was heard to comment that the guy would have tumours on his tumours. No idea if this ever came to pass. Also, there were rumours of solvent-sniffing competitions (not for abuse but to detect what was in the mixture) and pure ethanol punch. Neither could be substantiated. One thing I do know, though: acetone (the main ingredient in nail varnish remover) is great for getting rid of wasps. One squirt and they're done for.
Next time - back to normality!
Jack Orchison
August 29, 2014
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