Spectrophotometer Lab & Physical Chemistry Notes

09.03.25 || come my way

Had some minor health problems during the week and work is stacking up again. In moments like these, it's very easy for me to forget to take care of myself. However, I did some spring cleaning yesterday and feel much much lighter now! Listening to Saba's Few Good Things, because it just fits the mood.

All the best

AJ

28 February 2025

The new semester started by chewing me up and spitting me out. I told my thesis supervisor today that crystallochemistry turned out to be even more difficult than I'd thought it would, to which he happily said it only means I'll learn many new things. I told him I'm afraid it'll be the first exam I'll have ever failed and he just gave me a big smile and said, "you?". Unwavering faith 🥹

But what else is there to do but to keep going? I'm taking a class on inorganic synthesis this semester and after the first lecture I'm already super excited. Can't wait to have the first lab next week! I have so many great course mates that make getting through hard times at uni a little easier. Spring is coming. I got this.

12|03|2025

I am so close to being done with the materials for my exam at the end of the month. Next week might be my last week of lectures before the spring break, and to be honest it feels unreal. It feels like this course just started. Anyway I am making good progress with everything, I am trying to mainly focus on the exam which is getting nearer and nearer. And after that I'll figure out the rest.

27/50 days of productivity:

read first thing in the morning

finished working on the second to last recorded lecture of my spaces of knowledge class

started working on the last recorded lecture which I am definitely going to be finishing tomorrow since it's just half of the lecture

made a well written list of all the materials i had to study for the exam, so that on the day of the exam I can give it to the professor to remind her what I worked on

attended an in person lecture

Irish on duolingo

finished listening to the audiobook of A Psalm For The Wild Built and cried about it

📖: The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers

god good morning! back on my studying in my car grind, since i’ve been waking up hella early for some reason. the weather is amazing and im getting more comfortable in clothes again! enjoy some notes on blood 😊

6 March 2025

First inorganic synthesis lab and I had so much fun!! I really missed doing inorganic chem :') Today I synthesized tetraiodidobis(triphenylphosphine)tin(IV) (yeah), so basically a tin coordination compound with some iodine and an organic ligand :) The product had such a brilliant color irl, the photos could never do it justice. I also got two 5's (so the highest grade), one on the quiz and one on the practical part, which is very rewarding and makes this lab even more satisfying 💖

20-21/100 days of productivity

During the weekend i was ill, but now i am so back! I started studying for the exam i’ll have on the 24th of march, which is chemistry. I think i’ll do well enough if i stay consistent now (:

2025, week 8 (feb 17th - feb 23rd)

my partner was out of town this week, so I had the apartment to myself, which was very strange haha. I spent a lot of time reading and learning, but I had to remember to take breaks & take care of myself. it's a marathon, not a sprint, and all that.

accomplishments this week:

I finished going through the electronics chapter from my ham radio study guide. it mostly made sense but I'm desparately wishing that I kept my notes from when I took e&m physics lmao

I had my mid-year review at work and it went really well, yay

I finished reading All About Love by bell hooks and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

highlights this week:

we got a tiny bit of snow early in the week! pretty rare for where I live

I got coffee (well, matcha for me) with a friend and then we went to browse a used bookstore! I brought home a few old favorites that I didn't have copies of and some reference books that seemed useful.

I had a cozy Sunday morning of journaling & re-watching episodes of Adventure Time

March 4th, 2025.

Today was BUSY, but good! What mattered most was that I continued to show up to everything. I really didn't want to drive to campus twice, but goddamnit, I did it!

My boss told me that he wants me to be team lead for a big project. I'm super excited for this! Promotion in a year or so, here I come!

Now I just need to catch up on my homework backlog... lol.

What I accomplished:

Edited ep 13 of the podcast

Started, finished, and submitted the grant application for my research

Fixed up the grant proposal for my workplace

Had a Zoom meeting with my boss where he said he wants me to be team lead for this project!!!

Attended office hours for a class

Recorded a podcast episode

Had a club meeting on-campus

4 March 2025

The first chemical technology lab was super fun! I'm surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did, given it's kind of... ochem-heavy and I absolutely detested ochem labs. But I had a good time! Fingers crossed that won't change.

Lab partner and I made biofuel via esterification and transesterification reactions. The former was a reaction between oleic acid and methanol in acidic solution. The resulting ester - methyl oleate - has a greater density than methanol which is why it falls to the bottom of the cylinder, as you can see in the gif. It was so cool to see these "bubbles" in the entire volume just floating downwards as the reaction progressed. I love chemistry! 💖

Coming close to finals and the end of the quarter >.< Spent yesterday fighting the procrastination, but I got a good amount of studying done in the end.

Today's plan:

Go to the lab

Finish studying for physics quiz

Review ochem notes

Call mom

🎼: Bored - Deftones