The Sounds of Synthesis

Ever paused for a moment, standing in front of your hood, and just listened?

Labs sure are noisy places! But if you really love the "hands-on" aspect of the gig, you can't stand to walk into a lab devoid of all the onomatopoeic chatter our instruments and equipment make.

The whoooosh...pop | click! of an NMR spectrometer engulfing samples

The sci-fi whirs and sputters of fraction collectors and Biotage robot arms

The omnipresent susurrus of fume hoods and make-up air

The reassuring oily gurgle of a well-maintained high-vacuum Welch pump

The crystalline *ping*ping*ping when hot molecular sieves meet cold glassware

The unmistakable FWOMP of an imploding Dewar bath

The "shwack, shwack" noise as you put on protective gloves

"Listen! [Doo-wah-ooh] |
Do you want to hear some glassware? [Doo-wah-ooh]"

Finally, my personal favorite...high-pitched glassware harmonics. You can make these a few ways: by carefully running gloved fingers up a new pipette, slowly twisting an improperly lubed ground-glass joint, or when certain surfaces (rubber mats, wooden dowels) rub flask walls.

Happy listening!
-SAO