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Friday, January 31, 2003
To mask the bitterness of nicotine in their drinking water, our mice get to drink saccharin water. Saccharin (which comes from the Latin for "sugar") is the sweetener found in Sweet 'N Low® (but not Equal or Nutrasweet, those use aspartame). The chemical formula for saccharin is C7H4NNaO3S*2H2O, a far cry from the real thing (sucrose is made from glucose and fructose, whose formulas are both C6H12O6). From its formula, you wouldn't figure it would be sweet tasting, less even safe to eat. So how does one go about discovering such a thing?
Saccharin was discovered in 1879 by a chemistry research assistant named Constantine Fahlberg. Apparently, he was working on some new food preservatives when he accidentally spilled some of the compound he had synthesized onto his hand. Later that night when he was at home eating dinner, he noticed the intense sweetness of the compound on his hands. The next day he returned to the lab and was able to retrace his steps to synthesize saccharin in bulk. I must stress the accidental nature of his discovery. What can we gather from Mr. Fahlberg's experience?
1) Even a lowly research assistant (like myself) can make a difference in the world (until the 1970s, saccharin was widely used by the military and people on restricted-calorie diets).
2) Don't worry about spilling stuff onto your hands in lab, what's on them could be a precious discovery.
3) There's a historic basis for guys not washing their hands, even after spilling potentially dangerous chemicals on them, or even before eating.
4) A taste test is the most effective (and relevant) chemical test for an unknown white powder.
10:35 AM Albert
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..a life in DUO