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Synthesis
Chemistry In Pictures
Chemistry in Pictures: Strange brew
by Craig Bettenhausen
December 2, 2021
The Grignard reaction is an important tool in chemical synthesis. It forms new carbon-carbon bonds using an organometallic intermediate. François Auguste Victor Grignard won the 1912 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the reaction and its uses. Reddit user Hurambuk was using it with dry ice (solid CO2) to make an undisclosed carboxylic acid when he captured this video of the flask.
The inky black appearance, a result of magnesium metal in the reaction mixture, reminded DJ HardLogic, who spotted Hurambuk’s Reddit post, of Marvel’s antihero Venom: “Great. Someone made a symbiote.” Another Reddit user brought the voice of a senior lab mate to the comment thread, saying, “Can’t wait to make my undergrad clean that one.”
Do science. Take pictures. Win money. Enter our photo contest here.
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