This week, we discuss how to ensure experimental instruments are truly inert and chemistry’s answer to the fate of the Mary Celeste, with Phillip Broadwith and Mason Wakley.
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A recent mechanochemical study from Japan has revived an ongoing conversation in the chemical field about the inert nature of vessels and instruments used in experiments. The team discovered that the stainless steel balls used to ball mill their reaction, assumed to be inert, actually played a ‘non-innocent role’ in the experiment, shedding abraded particles that acted as reagents and producing unexpected results. It’s just one of a series of instances causing scientists to rethink their experimental set up and evaluate the true nature of the ‘inertness’ of their materials. How can we anticipate material compatibility before it affects experimental results?
And, fans of maritime mystery will be familiar with the story of the Mary Celeste. It’s one that has boggled historians since its discovery over a century ago, adrift and deserted off the coast of the Azores. The ship appeared shabby but afloat, the cargo remained onboard intact, but the captain, his family and crew had vanished, seemingly into thin air. Many theories have been proposed regarding the fate of the crew, ranging from the wild to the mundane. But chemistry has entered the conversation with a potential explanation.
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