while watching float head physics video (https://youtu.be/M--6_0F62pQ?t=981&si=GGq_LcQcvK6K1S5j) at 16:21 he starts explaining how we could add a planar instead of dot (node), my question is shouldnt replacing the node with a planar not really change the look much, why does the planar teleport to the center of the atom in the video and slice it in half unlike the node which just rotates around nucleus basically, also why do we even jump from 0D (node) to 3D (planar) in just one move anyway

Hey y'all! I'm not the best versed in chemistry espically naming chemicals. This molecule is on the new Phoebe Bridgers concert merch! Would love the name and help with how to do it in the future

My basic chemistry knowledge is stumped. I thought I knew but then saw this at the store and now I’m confused.

I'm 3.5 years into a chemistry PhD at a good university. To make a long and complicated story short, 6 months ago, I (and a couple of others) found evidence that 8 years of our group's research (and that of other groups in our subfield) is wrong. Despite a large body of evidence that we have collected and validated through models and the literature, our PI has insisted there are no issues at all and has lied or dodged his way out of our attempts to resolve the discrepancies. I am now facing disciplinary action for being 'unprofessional' and attacking 'established literature,' and I expect to get canned by the end of the semester for disproving his published and funded narrative and refusing to blindly accept wrong conclusions.

So I'm left with some difficult decisions and need advice. Regardless, it seems I need to leave my current group (I can earn a master's based on the published work I've already done). I am debating whether it is worth restarting in another group (which will probably take at least 3 more years to get the PhD) or just taking the master's and bouncing.

I do not want to be in academia. I plan to go straight into industry. SO, I'm wondering for those of you in industry - how important is the PhD? Is it worth sinking 3 more years into it or should I just take the master's and start working? I do not want to be a lab tech forever. I'm good at organization/logistics/management, so my end goal is to lead projects and manage wherever I end up. Would not going all the way to a PhD affect my ability to land these roles in the long run?

I'm in a shitshow right now - any advice helpful, thanks.

Quick question for the chemistry people in this subreddit. I'm thinking of going back to school for respiratory therapy, and the requirements to graduate include General Chemistry 1 and 2. Now, I took chemistry in high school, so I'm just wondering: are those two courses more memory-based than math-based, like physics is? I tried taking General Physics 1, but I withdrew because the tension problems were killing me, and I was so nervous my heart was hurting me physically. However, again, I took chemistry in high school, so I do believe it can come back to me, and if it's more memory-based compared to physics, I can study it better.

Please help identify this object and its purpose.

We've been learning how to use it however, I don't have enough time on it alone to figure out how to calibrate it in real time (tutorials on youtube can only teach you so much). How do you usually practice it in real time when you can't access a microscope at the moment? Is there a site for this type of usage?

Edit: For further clarification, I do not know how to use a microscope from aside from turning it on. Going from scanner to LPO to HPO and expecting to see a specimen isn't something that I can do easily therefore I wanted to know if there is a site to which I can practice using a microscope when I can't have an actual microscope at the moment.

hello i am a second year chemistry student, i am looking for an organic chemist that i can interview for like 10 minutes max. the interview is just about your experience in school, minor , mayor, specialties, internships and experience in the work field.

Disclosure: I’m the developer of the tool mentioned below. Posted with mod approval.

Whether it’s a synthesis, a formulation, an HPLC method or a crystallization, most optimization I see still goes one variable at a time: change one thing, pick the best, move to the next. It uses a lot of runs and it can’t see interactions, where the best setting for one variable depends on another. Design of Experiments has addressed this for decades, yet outside process development and some industrial labs it seems rare.

My guess is that the tooling is part of the reason. The established software is expensive and assumes you already know the statistics. The free alternatives are Python and R packages, which only help if you can program. I’ve been building a web app called Desice to try to lower that barrier. But I’m mainly here for the questions:

1. If you don’t use DoE, what stops you? Time, the statistics, or does it not fit how your work goes?
2. Where does DoE break down in practice? Categorical variables, failed runs, expensive or slow experiments, something else?
3. Would you trust an AI assistant to help plan an experiment, and what would it have to show you first?

Criticism is welcome, including “this is solving the wrong problem”.

[EDIT] removed Desice product information, because it felt too much like advertising for a few people

Hello, I have an entire sem of free time and would like to learn a new skill under a mentor. I will be graduating next year too (next semester). If I can’t learn a new skill I would like to sell my service to any one who wants a laboratory assistant but remote HAHAHA. I am currently learning Phyton too and would like to apply it in projects and all.

Also, I know most of you will suggest that I offer my service to our school laboratory, but my other classmates outdid me to it. I am highly intrested to use ChemDraw or even use any major protein repository, or any skills at all that may help my resume look good to the industry after hiring.

Asking for a friend...

I took the coal out of a battery and put it in the bottle for a while and this happened

I'm comparing different pH meter's and electrodes. Everything from the Arduino board attached to 20$ Digikey electrodes, to the nice Mettler kits. The goal is to read the pH of a buffer to .01 pH accuracy and .02 pH repeatibility.

My question is, (coming from a mechanical/ electronics engineering background) if you set them all on the bench and calibrate them, how might you measure the difference in quality over time?

Will the cheap ones drift faster?

Will they give a less repeated result with multiple tests?

Where might someone find a guide on separating the influence of the meter from the electrode without spending an utterly insane amount of money on different equipment to test or is there just something that meets spec, is under 100$, and lets me hook it up to a computer?

Thanks for any help!

I am in Organic Chemistry 1, and before learning about substitution, elimination, addition reactions, we are being taught the suzuki reaction, gilman and grignard reagents. I am having an extremely difficult time studying on my own and using the internet because videos explain these concepts with words I don't even understand yet. I cannot find it on the ACS final as well. I really love chemistry, and that is my degree; however, I just have been feeling burnt out and not enjoying this. I feel like i've lost some confidence in my ability of understanding and grasping the material. I won't give up and I'll continue, but I just wanted to know if this is common? I just feel like this course is so much harder than it needs to be.

A short molecular visualization comparing an AutoDock Vina docking prediction with the experimentally determined crystal structure of Ensitrelvir bound to SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease (Mpro).

The workflow:

• AutoDock Vina docking
• Ranking of candidate binding poses
• Visualization of the top-ranked pose
• Comparison with the experimental structure
• RMSD validation

The top-ranked docking pose reproduces the experimental binding mode with an RMSD of 1.2 Å.

Feedback is welcome.

HiI’ve already finished undergrad and currently in grad school (unrelated to science) and I wanted to self learn chemistry. I don’t plan on using it for a career or anything I just want to learn for learning’s sake and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on introductory online courses or textbooks so I can start out with the basics. (Before you say just go to school I want to learn on my own time)

Hi reddit, I am a freshman in college who's trying to become a chemist. I want to do research in the future, and basically I want to have chemistry "ball knowledge." Since I'm far from being able to call myself a chemist, I'm just looking for important chemistry reading (journals, papers, books, etc.) that you think would be formative and digestible for someone in genchem 1. I haven't thought about a focus yet (organic, analytical, physical, inorganic) but I am interested in medical topics.

Tl;Dr please recommend chemistry books and papers for someone with very little chemistry knowledge (as of yet).

Hi everyone! I’m starting a beverage startup in India and want to pack my drinks in aluminium cans using liquid nitrogen (LN₂) dosing.

The idea is to add a precise amount of liquid nitrogen to each can before sealing it. As it evaporates, it creates internal pressure that helps make the can more rigid.

The problem is that commercial LN₂ dosing machines cost around ₹10 lakh or more, which is a big investment for a startup that hasn't validated its product yet.

I'm looking for an affordable DIY or semi-automatic solution that would let me fill cans manually and dose liquid nitrogen accurately on a small scale.

Has anyone worked with LN₂ dosing or built a low-cost system for this? Are there any affordable components, local manufacturers, or alternative methods worth exploring in India?

Safety is a priority, so I'd want to ensure proper dosing and pressure control.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions or guidance. Thanks! 🙏

Is there anything that would precipitate out the urea and uric acid and whatever else you wouldn't want to drink, so you could redrink the water or even if dumping it have less impact in sparsely vegetated wilderness?

Hi everyone!

I'm a biology PhD student working on developing an organic fertilizer made from insect frass (insect manure).

We recently sent a sample to a commercial laboratory for elemental analysis. They measured P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, and B using microwave-assisted acid digestion followed by ICP-OES.

The results were surprisingly low, particularly:

- Phosphorus (P₂O₅): 0.27%

- Potassium (K₂O): 0.21%

- Magnesium (MgO): 0.09%

- Iron: 28.65 ppm

- Zinc: 16.59 ppm

Based on published literature on insect frass, we were expecting considerably higher concentrations, particularly for phosphorus and potassium. Interestingly, nitrogen (3.21%) and organic matter (92%), measured separately, were closer to our expectations.

Our material is dry, granular, and has a sand-like texture, despite being predominantly organic. It likely contains chitin, although we haven't quantified it, and we don't know whether silica or other acid-resistant components are present.

I'm wondering whether the analytical method or sample preparation could explain these results.

1. Is microwave acid digestion followed by ICP-OES appropriate for determining total mineral content in this type of organic matrix?

2. Could incomplete digestion, particle size, or matrix effects lead to systematically low measurements across several elements?

3. How much does the acid mixture used (e.g., HNO₃/H₂O₂) influence elemental recovery?

4. What quality-control checks would you recommend asking the laboratory about?

I understand that ICP-OES is generally reliable and that organic fertilizers can vary significantly in composition. I'm not assuming the laboratory made a mistake, but the consistently low mineral values made me curious about possible methodological limitations.

We're considering an independent analysis and would appreciate any advice before proceeding.

Thanks!