Author Archives: stu

My #overlyhonestmethods story

Posted on January 11, 2013 by stu

Single crystals suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis were obtained when a solution of the salt in EtOAc/nC6H14/MeCN was allowed to stand at 20 °C for about 1 d. That sentence appears in the X-ray characterization section of only the second … Continue reading →

Posted in In the lab | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The life editorial (in brief)

Posted on October 22, 2012 by stu

With apologies to @BenchFly (who sent me a set of thought-provoking career-related questions a long time ago now — and I promise I will answer them at some point), here is a short post to take part in the #ChemCoach … Continue reading →

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My Olympics

Posted on August 13, 2012 by stu

We were lucky enough to see a couple of events at the London 2012 Olympics… first up was some tennis at Wimbledon. We got to see Murray and Robson in the mixed doubles (beating the Australians — which is always … Continue reading →

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Where I’ve been (in the name of SCIENCE!)

Posted on August 11, 2012 by stu

I’m not quite sure who started the whole #sciencenomads thing on Twitter (I think either @Chemjobber or @SeeArrOh), but it got me thinking about all the places I’ve visited/worked because of SCIENCE! Sure, if I’d never got into chemistry (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Careers, Fun | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m still here

Posted on April 25, 2012 by stu

Well, at least I got into double figures in terms of number of posts before I had to write this one, in which I assure you that I’m still here and still intent on blogging. I’ve been somewhat sidetracked recently … Continue reading →

Posted in Housekeeping | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Peer-review polls

Posted on March 3, 2012 by stu

I’m starting to think about some of the talks I’ll be giving whilst on my travels later in the year. Questions relating to peer review inevitably crop up — about double-blind peer review, open peer review, or why the vast … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

My ChemDraw hell

Posted on February 22, 2012 by stu

Here’s a challenge for you. Draw the structure below in ChemDraw – so that it looks as pretty as it does here* – and let me know how long it took you. If you can do it in under 3 … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

My science story (and my Dad)

Posted on January 28, 2012 by stu

There is not a lot of chemistry in this post (and not too many laughs either) so consider yourself warned if that’s what you usually come here for. After seeing some of the #IAmScience tweets and reading this blog post … Continue reading →

Posted in Life stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The value of PR stunts?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by stu

I’ve been a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for many years now; I think I’m coming up on my 15th year. The RSC does a lot of good things — and I know many people who work … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Cookie chemistry

Posted on November 2, 2011 by stu

Apologies for the lack of posting here. I’ve always been impressed with the output on a lot of the chemistry blogs that I peruse, but since starting this blog I now have an even deeper sense of wonder and awe … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments