DAY 293/294

Jun 21 & 22

1) In the previous blog update I mentioned that we would conduct mass spectrometry to determine the identity of the second product that we created in the labs. So at 8.30am, Donal and I went over to York House, where he showed me how to use the mass spectrometer. After some initial dry runs, we inserted the sample into the machine and obtained the reading. Unfortunately, they did not match the product that we were looking for, much to our dismay.

2) So it was back to the drawing board. This time, I repeated the experiment, but followed an earlier (and similar) experiment carried out by Donal. We were half way through refluxing when we noticed something different about the DCM (dichloromethane/ methylene chloride) solution we were using. Strong hints of acetone were detected, suggesting that there were impurities present. This may have accounted for the change in mass spectra that we observed earlier in the morning. A quick TLC (thin layer chromatography) check confirmed that the product was indeed different, and hence we would have to (once again!) redo the experiment.

3) So I set up the experiment once more, making doubly sure to replace the tainted DCM solution with a fresh batch. We left the solution on low heat and reflux throughout the night. This morning, Donal had to present a research paper at DCU (Dublin City University), so I came alone to the labs to turn off the heating and carry out another TLC. This time things look a lot more positive. Hopefully our product will turn out fine, and we can proceed to the next step, which is to synthesize Deferasirox (DFX) from the two products that we have made.

4) In the afternoon, I went for my appointment with the Dublin School of Barbering, which offers free haircuts by their student barbers. To be honest, their quality is really good, and I can't really tell the difference haha. Anyway, I've spent the rest of the day back home, just contemplating life and wondering how to get everything packed up... That was today's blog update, and I hope you enjoyed it. Have a lovely day and thanks very much for visiting. Cheers!

That's a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) instrument, used to determine the physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained.

That's me after getting a haircut 

(unfortunately there's no me before getting a haircut XD)

DAY 290/291/292

Jun 18/19/20

1) These past few days have seen me really busy. I very mistakenly thought that I had two things coming up this Friday - the Antibiotics Resistance Debate, and the Hiking Trip to Mt. Brandon. It turns out both of these are happening only next month! At least I've prepared for them, if a little prematurely. Instead, this Friday we have a talk on "Presenting Your Research" by Mr. Eric Clarke. This is part of the Friday Discovery Series 2017.

2) Up till today, we've carried out three experiments in the Apjohn Chemistry Lab. These experiments are those which I'll have to write an abstract about - they're many other experiments which I helped out but which are not part of my research. By yesterday evening, we had managed to synthesize our second product. However, after NMR spectroscopy today, we can't confirm 100% if we've got the correct product or not. So tomorrow we'll be heading to York House to use the mass spectrometer to ascertain once and for all the identity of our product. If it's a no go then it'll be back to square one haha.

3) Today has been a particular fruitful day as I managed to finish off the rest of the steps for the manufacture of the products. The reason I'm being vague by calling them products and not their full name is because their names are very very long. Anyway, I spent some time at night reading up articles on how to synthesize them and also the methods and techniques used. Hopefully once they are all ready, we can start forming complexes with bismuth to create antimicrobials/ antibiotics which are effective. But that's a long way to go. Until then, thanks for reading, and have a great day. Cheers!

Another interesting day in the labs :)

Yes, that is just ONE experiment 

(to produce just one out of many reactants that will be used in the bismuth-iron chelator complex)

Pesto pasta @ AK. Henry ^^

Nothing beats a Subway cookie... except TWO Subway cookies XD

DAY 289

Jun 17

1) Today has been a rather mundane day for me, so I'll keep it short. Got up late today, and then made a list of things to do for the rest of the day. I still have much packing to do, as I'll be shifting soon. Also, I have to finish preparing my points and memorising the "Antibiotics Resistance" debate speech. On the same day after the debate ends, I'll be packing up and heading to Co Kerry to climb Mt. Brandon, as part of the expedition organised by the RCSI Climbing and Mountaineering Society. I can't wait ^^

2) In the afternoon, I was chatting with my parents for a while, before taking a nap. Woke up refreshed, and decided to go for a jog. I haven't jogged these past few days (due to various circumstances) so I did not expect to complete 15km today. My legs were burning after exercise, but it was an awesome feeling to slowly return to my *cough* fitter *cough* past self. I used to run 21km (a half marathon) every Sunday together with my dad. Those were some great times, but sadly inactivity and other commitments have meant a steady decline in my stamina. Hopefully I'll be able to build it back in time for the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon.

3) In the evening, Zi Yan came over for a visit, and we watched a movie together. We initially wanted to watch "Logan" but after the connection failed a couple of times, we opted for "The Mummy" instead. The quality wasn't great, but at least it was an enjoyable movie. Zi Yan asked me if I'd be able to sleep after watching it (admittedly I'm not particularly fond of any horror-type movies), but I suppose my workout today will offset any difficulties in sleeping from watching the movie haha. That has been my day, and this blog update turned out to be longer than I thought.

4) I'd thought it'd be best to end on a high note. So here goes: Happy Father's Day! To all the fathers in this world, and especially to my own dad. Thanks for looking out for me, tolerating all my shenanigans, and assisting me in every way possible. And thanks everyone for reading this. Have a great weekend, cheers!

Happy Father's Day!!

Another street performance at Grafton St.

Tried Yum Thai Noodle Shop for a change :))

DAY 287/ 288

Jun 15/ 16

1) The past two days have been very fruitful for me. Yesterday, I was in the lab from 9-5, synthesising various reactions and managing different experiments. I've performed Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) for the umpteenth time, in addition to learning how to prepare an NMR sample for analysis. Not bad for my first week on the job I reckon. Anyway, for now at least, my project targets two separate experiments, both involving bismuth as the starting product.

2) The first experiment has been ongoing since the day before, but yesterday we found out how to synthesise the starting compound for the second experiment (hydrazinobenzoic methyl ester). We only got so far as the reflux bit, as that is a projected 15 hours of waiting. So we'll leave it till Monday before continuing. Mr. Keogan has another experiment himself that we'll begin next Monday, so they'll be a lot to do at the start of the week.

3) Today was our first trip to Beaumont Hospital, to attend a lecture series by Dr. Emer Reeves, Lecturer in the Department of Medicine. Her talk was entitled "Critical Reading: the Ability to Appraise and Evaluate a Scientific Paper". I enjoyed her talk as she took us through step by step on how to get our paper published for Research Day, ICHAMS etc. After the lecture, my friend Zi Yan and I went for a walking tour around the Smurfit Research Centre. We will visited some of the wards (just the corridors) to get a clearer picture of the environment we'll be studying in next January.

4) After some time, we took the No. 14 bus back to Aungier St. I bought dinner from Wok In along the way, and proceeded to walk home. Took a nice nap and spent the rest of the evening chilling at home. That's been my past two days, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a splendid day. Cheers!

Beaumont Hospital

Entrance to the Hospital

Smurfit Research Building, Beaumont

Dr. Emer Reeves

Me preparing to give a speech to a non-existent audience XD

DAY 286

Jun 14

1) Today has been a tiring day for me. I got up early to meet Mr. Keogan in the labs. It seems I've underestimated how tiring it would be to work a 9-5 job, what with all the focus and concentration required haha. Luckily, we have informal tea and lunch breaks in between to boost our energy for the rest of the day.

2) In the morning, I helped Mr. Keogan to complete his own experiments (for his PhD), while learning many new analytical techniques. As an example, learning how to dry organic phase reagents using vacuum filtration apparatus and a rotary evaporator. Besides, we performed TLC (thin layer chromatography) which was taught in A-Levels! For other samples, we brought them for NMR spectroscopy (in York House, just opposite RCSI) for identification.

3) After lunch, we finally started with my experimental procedure. As of now, I need to do some more research on the availability of the reagents, or else some may need to be ordered. We got that far today, so here's hoping things will continue smoothly tomorrow. That's all for today, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

A sneak peak in the labs...

Brunch

Lunch

Truth be told, I never imagined I'd be doing this :)

DAY 285

Jun 13

1) Today started off quite slowly, but I ended up learning a lot of things. So I came to Dr. Griffith's office at 11am, and he brought me to meet Mr. Donal Keogan, a final year PhD student working on the same project. He showed me around the research lab (Apjohn Chemistry Lab, named after Professor James Apjohn, the first Professor of Chemistry, RCSI) in more detail.

2) For the most part, I was shadowing Mr. Keogan as he did his research on something unrelated (we'll be tackling my research project starting tomorrow). For now, I got used to the various laboratory apparatus and chemicals, as well as the safety hazards. At 2.00pm, me and some other newcomers (ranging from summer research students to graduate students) were brought on a walking tour of the premises by Mr. Emmet. We were each given a research laboratory notebook to keep track of our experiments, and as a guide.

3) While waiting for reflux of some key compounds to occur, I looked around and saw the many different apparatus which I will have to get used to working with. Among these are the rotary evaporator, NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) machine, electronic balances, and set-ups for reflux and distillation. In addition, there are plenty of safety protocol to follow, such as not lifting the fume hood too high up, and how to wash apparatus with acetone etc. A lot of new stuff if I'm honest, but hey - I've got two months right? Hope that everything goes smoothly and at the end, I'll be able to produce a five-point presentation for submission (that's part of the contract) during Research Day. That's been my day in a nutshell, and I hope you found it an enjoyable read. Thanks for visiting my blog, and have a nice day. Cheers!

Officially my first "working day" in the labs!

Blueprints for tomorrow

Dinner from Wok In

DAY 284

Jun 12

1) So today there are three important things for me to write about. The first, as you may expect if you've been following my previous updates, is of course on my research. I met up with Dr. Griffith (my Principal Investigator) at around 11am, and it was there that I met Ali, who is also undertaking summer research (albeit under a different project title)

2) Dr. Griffith took us on a tour of all three floors of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry. There, we met the PhD students who would be guiding us with our research. After that , we went over to York House where Dr. Griffith showed us the NMR instrument, used to determine the physical and chemical properties of atoms or the molecules in which they are contained. He also showed us a slew of different apparatus and lab equipment, from HPLCs (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) to THF (tetrahydrofuran). It really was a completely new experience for me.

3) We spent some time outlining exactly my aim of conducting this research, as well as set the list of things I would be required to carry out for this week. For today, he sent some research papers over for me to read, mostly on bismuth and its various potential applications in antimicrobial, antileishmanial, and anticancer therapy. Bismuth is frequently used in quadruple therapy (two antibiotics, a proton-pump inhibitor, and bismuth) for the treatment of helicobacter pylori infections. So the objective of my research is to develop novel bismuth complexes which are effective in these areas of treatment.

4) After the allotted time, I went over to the library. As I've written previously, today is the last day that Mercer Library will be open. After 11pm, it will be shut down for good, and library operations will continue 3rd July at the new academic building. This old building will then be converted for pharmacy students to use. As such, I spent my afternoon there, reading up on the research material that I'd been given to read, as well as taking a nice nap for old time's sake.

5) In the evening, I went for my usual run at St. Stephen's Green. It took a lot of effort to complete 10km (something that I used to do with little effort during my younger years haha), but at least I'm making progress. At least I've the next four and a half months or so to train properly before the SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon 2017. I for one, cannot wait.

6) Bought my dinner from Subway, before returning home for the rest of the night. That has been my day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks and hope you have a great day. Cheers!

I wonder which "JC2 Student" wrote this? ^^

I've done this before, but which one is mine?? XD

Friendly desk staff

Look forward to meeting everyone again in the new building!!